UNI THE UNICORN

Uni the unicorn is like all other unicorns in every way but one.

Uni has a flowing magenta mane, sparkly, golden hooves, and of course, a long, swirly horn that has the power to heal. But there’s one thing that’s different. Uni pores over fairy tales, staring longingly at the princesses found within the pages. No matter what Uni’s friends and family say, Uni believes, truly believes, that little girls must be real. Rosenthal, no stranger to turning convention on its head (for instance, her tiny green protagonist who hates to eat candy for dinner in Little Pea, illustrated by Jen Corace, 2005), delves into the role-reversal plot twist, but what results is simply a strong case for friendship. Uni imagines running, twirling and sitting quietly with a real little girl, and “somewhere far away (but not that far away),” there is a little girl who is wishing and dreaming the very same thing. Barrager’s Disney-animation background shines through in wide, innocent eyes and a lush, candy-colored palette. There are certainly little-girl readers who believe in unicorns just as much as Uni believes in them, and this will feed their dreaming spirits. But the deep desire for friendship has universal appeal.

A tiny slip of magic that suggests equal quantities of conviction and possibility.