A likely pick for ubiquitous unicorn fans.
A clever girl’s efforts to win the smile of a Scottish prince lead to the origin of the unicorn.
When Prince Donald loses his smile, everyone in Scotland tries to help, but not one of the parties held, cakes baked, songs written, or fountains carved in his honor coaxes a smile. Hoping to amuse the prince with a new magical creature, the court magician mixes “fur and feathers, scales and claws,” but the resulting beast proves too frightening. Meanwhile, the magician’s granddaughter Hana invents her own special creature with a horse’s body, goat’s hooves, and a gazelle’s horn. She calls her creature a “unicorn.” When Prince Donald sees the beautiful unicorn, he can’t resist following it into the woods, where he and Hana eventually discover the magician’s banished beast, a winged lion with a scaly tail, fiercely attacking the gentle unicorn. As Donald helps the unicorn fight the beast, Hana relies on magic to transform the creature into a cat, a wren, and a lizard, saving the day. But will this earn her a smile from Prince Donald? Romantic illustrations in a medieval castle venue reinforce the fairy-tale elements of this retelling of a Scottish folktale, with the contemporary twist of a quick-thinking, brown-skinned female protagonist who comes to the rescue of the White prince. Full- and double-page close-ups of the lovely, white unicorn battling the fierce winged lion add memorable visual drama.
A likely pick for ubiquitous unicorn fans. (author’s note) (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: Sept. 29, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-78250-647-8
Page Count: 36
Publisher: Kelpies
Review Posted Online: July 13, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Encouragement for moguls-to-be and fun for everyone else.
A young entrepreneur is ready to sell homemade lemonade, but everyone else has already staked out the best spots.
The nameless narrator rolls a colorful stand through the diverse city neighborhood and just keeps on going until reaching the countryside. Pushing it up a hill, the kid loses control, and the tall stand with the lemon on top goes careening through the woods until it finally stops near a river. Unexpectedly, a customer arrives! The kid serves up, and then a steady stream of customers float by: an octopus, two alligators, a sea monster, a diver in an old-fashioned helmet, and more. The kid needs to make more lemonade on the spot. After selling out and trudging home, the kid sleeps through the night dreaming about a future riverside lemonade empire. Careful readers will spot many reminders of the adventure in the kid’s bedroom. A toy octopus’s tentacles overflow from a chest, a diver’s helmet sits on the floor, pictures of sea animals and boats adorn the walls. The lines between reality and fantasy blur…but the tip jar is full. Bright cartoon illustrations are full of funny details (the lemonade-stand sign smiles and frowns expressively), and the alliterative text begs to be read aloud: “I sat for a long while, feeling terrible as a turnip,” the kid grumps at one point. The narrator has textured black hair and a ruddy complexion. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Encouragement for moguls-to-be and fun for everyone else. (Picture book. 5-7)Pub Date: May 25, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-7352-2828-3
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Dial Books
Review Posted Online: April 13, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
This is one entertaining and silly way to do math.
Addition and subtraction with cruciferous-named dragons.
“High on a mountain near a deep dark cave,” 100 dragons fly, swoop, play, and blow fire across the pages. Though they vary by shape, color, and size, the fiery creatures all go by the name of Broccoli. A blistering wind blows away half of the dragons, leaving 50. Soon after, 10 dragons decide to go on a cruise and become “professional surfers in Hawaii.” The number of dragons rises and falls as a series of non sequitur events—and opportunities for readers to practice their addition and subtraction—continue: “5 dragons took a rocket to the moon. 2 of the dragons from West Virginia returned.” The total number left is in bold within the spare narrative. While the pace and the emotional tone stay even throughout the story, Cho’s colorful portrayals offer comedic magic and flair. Readers will be captivated by the antics of each Broccoli. The pudgy dragons’ quirky expressions will elicit plenty of giggles. Eventually only one red Broccoli is left, solemnly retreating into the cave for the winter. It is spring that welcomes Broccoli back, followed by 100 baby dragons. This time none of the infants are named Broccoli, with only one chubby exception. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
This is one entertaining and silly way to do math. (Math picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: April 4, 2023
ISBN: 978-0-525-55544-5
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Dial Books
Review Posted Online: Dec. 23, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2023
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
