Common Sense Media Review
By Regan McMahon
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Unicorn believes in little girls in cute misfit tale.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 3+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
What's the Story?
Uni, like other unicorns, had a "special swirly horn with the power to heal and mend" and could make wishes come true. But Uni was different because Uni believed little girls were real. The other unicorns laughed and said, "Everyone knows there's no such thing as little girls! They're just make-believe!" But Uni dreams of a "strong smart wonderful magical little girl" to play, explore, heal other animals, and slide down rainbows with. Meanwhile, somewhere far away, a real little girl believes in unicorns and is mocked by her friends for it: "Ha, ha, ha. Unicorns are just make-believe!" Yet she's certain there's a "strong smart wonderful magical unicorn ... just waiting to be her friend."
Is It Any Good?
UNI THE UNICORN will appeal to readers who like magic and princess stories and enjoy the stylized pictures of a sparkly, friendly unicorn with a twinkling eye. But the fun is in how author Amy Krouse Rosenthal flips the usual idea of people believing in unicorns with a misfit unicorn believing in people.
There's a gentle message to stick to what you believe in no matter what others say, but kids will probably just delight in the engaging pictures and the happy possibility that the two characters will one day meet and be happy in a magical forest. The conclusion may be too open-ended for some, but the final image of them together will probably be enough for many.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about unicorns. Why do these mythical creatures remain so fascinating through the ages?
How do you like the twist of seeing a unicorn paint pictures of an imagined little girl and read a fairy tale about a little girl?
Why do we like fairy tales so much? Is it the colorful characters or the magic in them?
Book Details
- Author :
- Illustrator : Brigette Barrager
- Genre : Picture Book
- Topics : Fantasy ( Magic ) , Friendship
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Random House Books for Young Readers
- Publication date : August 26, 2014
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 3 - 7
- Number of pages : 48
- Available on : Nook, Hardback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Last updated : October 1, 2025
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