Parents' Guide to

Uni the Unicorn

By Regan McMahon, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 3+

Unicorn believes in little girls in cute misfit tale.

Book Amy Krouse Rosenthal Picture Book 2014
Uni the Unicorn Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this book.

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age 2+

Based on 1 parent review

JoleBobby
JoleBobby Adult
February 25, 2022
age 2+

A most precious gem in a lost world, GOOD FOR ALL AGES!!

Today's common children's media and books have so many dark undertones and inappropriate subject matter that I am blessed to know that books like this still exist. even many books with unicorns are not harmless. The Uni The Unicorn series of books have simple yet powerful messages and are a book that will appeal to many ages. Uni is so cute and she cares about everyone and she is a kind, tender and innocent soul. this book shows children that believing is a very powerful thing and to not let others take that away from you. It's a very well made book inside and out and I would recommend it to anyone. The only possible problem I see however is that children must understand that no matter how much they want to believe, they simply can't make unicorns appear in real life as this book seems to say it. That is one thing I wish was not left up to the parents to explain to their children. But smart children should know this already. unicorns like Uni would surely make this world much brighter if she appeared in real life. Uni 4 ever!!!!

This title has:

Educational value
Great messages
Great role models
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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?

Our review:
Parents say (1):
Kids say (1):

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

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