9th April Unicorn Day

Unicorn Day is the perfect day to talk about the new book The Teeny-Weeny Unicorn  by Shawn Harris which has had so much hype, even here in Australia where it is going to cost you more than forty dollars to buy. Several parents came to the library wanting to borrow it and I told them I hadn't purchased it as it was too expensive and I was waiting till it got cheaper. One very generous parent solved this problem. She bought it, read it, and then donated it to the library. When she handed it over she did say she wasn't sure what all the 'hype' was about so that made me even more curious.

Having now read it, it is fun. The message is a good one for the age group I teach who are constantly told they are too small for things they want to do, the art work done with oil pastels is good for showing movement and emotions when the unicorn is angry. Children will like the comeuppance the teeny-weeny unicorn foists onto his older siblings. The female gnome is quirky and easy to laugh at, but she is an integral part of the theme of perspective and self-acceptance.

So, should you rush out and buy it? I do like it and it is different from the many other 'mauve' unicorn books that make up the library's unicorn cache, but I don't think the need is urgent. You can wait till it is cheaper here and available more widely.

Meanwhile make do with what ever other unicorn picture books and novels you have. There's lots here to choose from.