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GO AWAY, UNICORN!

Name: GO AWAY, UNICORN!
Author: Emily Mullock
ISBN: 978-1-338-57571-2

by Emily Mullock ; illustrated by Emily Mullock ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 3, 2019

Thanks to its media tie-in, this unicorn’s not likely to be going away anytime soon.

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First published in Canada, the book behind the popular animated TV series of the same title.

Alice is not pleased when a pink-maned, white unicorn crashes her 10th birthday party. Demonstrating that “unicorns can be pretty dumb,” he mistakes her pointy, gold party hat for a horn and thinks she’s a unicorn, too. Despite her protests, he follows Alice home after the party, sweetly determined to earn her favor even after she doffs the hat. But he makes a nuisance of himself in a series of twee little mishaps that finally cause Alice to snap after he magically turns her hair pink (“his most favorite color”). Outraged, she says “the meanest thing she could think of: ‘You are so not my friend. I would rather have a goldfish than you!’ ” Well, “even unicorns know when they’re being insulted,” and he leaves, crestfallen. In a satisfying if predictable ending, the pair is reunited when Alice misses him after all. While the trim size suggests this is an early reader, there’s more of a picture-book feel to the dynamic between art and text, especially since the latter lacks controls that would make it particularly accessible to emergent readers. The cartoon art depicts Alice with straight dark hair, big dark eyes right out of manga, and tan skin.

Thanks to its media tie-in, this unicorn’s not likely to be going away anytime soon. (Picture book. 4-7)

Pub Date: Sept. 3, 2019

ISBN: 978-1-338-57571-2

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Scholastic

Review Posted Online: June 9, 2019

Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2019

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

- BOOK REVIEW
WENDA THE WACKY WIGGLER
by Christopher Aslan & illustrated by Emily Mullock & developed by Aslan Studios

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BUDDY'S NEW BUDDY

From the Growing With Buddy series , Vol. 3

by Christina Geist ; illustrated by Tim Bowers ‧ RELEASE DATE: July 12, 2022

Making friends isn’t always this easy and convenient.

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How do you make a new friend when an old one moves away?

Buddy (from Sorry, Grown-Ups, You Can’t Go to School, 2019, etc.) is feeling lonely. His best friend just moved across town. To make matters worse, there is a field trip coming up, and Buddy needs a bus partner. His sister, Lady, has some helpful advice for making a new pal: “You just need to find something you have in common.” Buddy loves the game Robo Chargers and karate. Surely there is someone else who does, too! Unfortunately, there isn’t. However, when a new student arrives (one day later) and asks everyone to call her Sunny instead of Alison, Buddy gets excited. No one uses his given name, either; they just call him Buddy. He secretly whispers his “real, official name” to Sunny at lunch—an indication that a true friendship is being formed. The rest of the story plods merrily along, all pieces falling exactly into place (she even likes Robo Chargers!), accompanied by Bowers’ digital art, a mix of spot art and full-bleed illustrations. Friendship-building can be an emotionally charged event in a child’s life—young readers will certainly see themselves in Buddy’s plight—but, alas, there is not much storytelling magic to be found. Buddy and his family are White, Sunny and Mr. Teacher are Black, and Buddy’s other classmates are racially diverse. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

Making friends isn’t always this easy and convenient. (Picture book. 4-7)

Pub Date: July 12, 2022

ISBN: 978-0-593-30709-0

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Random House

Review Posted Online: March 29, 2022

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2022

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

- BOOK REVIEW
SORRY, GROWN-UPS, YOU CAN'T GO TO SCHOOL!
by Christina Geist ; illustrated by Tim Bowers

- BOOK REVIEW
BUDDY'S BEDTIME BATTERY
by Christina Geist ; illustrated by Tim Bowers

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THE COOL BEAN MAKES A SPLASH

From the I Can Read! series

by Jory John ; illustrated by Pete Oswald ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 26, 2024

Another quirky take on the series theme that it’s cool to be kind.

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The cool beans again step up to do a timorous fellow legume a fava…this time at the pool.

Will a rash decision to tackle the multistory super-slide lead to another embarrassing watery fail for our shy protagonist? Nope, for up the stairs right behind comes a trio of cool beans, each a different type and color, all clad in nothing but dark shades. They make an offer: “It’s not as scary if you go with friends!” As the knobby nerd explains once the thrilling ride down is done, “They all realized that I just needed some encouragement and support.” Just to make sure that both cool and uncool readers get the message, the narrator lets us know that “there are plenty of kind folks who have my back. They’re always there when I need them.” The beany bonhomie doesn’t end at the bottom of the slide, with all gliding down to the shallow end of the pool (“3 INCHES. NO DIVING”) for a splashy finale. This latest early reader starring characters from John and Oswald’s immensely popular Food Group series will be a hit with fans. Fun accessories, such as a bean who rocks pink cat-eye frames, add some pizzazz to the chromatically and somatotypically varied cast.

Another quirky take on the series theme that it’s cool to be kind. (Easy reader. 5-7)