UNICORN CROSSING

Luenn, author of last year's Arctic Unicorn, returns to the mythical animal for a book for younger readers. Jenny is on the way, with her parents and older sister, to vacation on an island in Puget Sound. Stubbornly imaginative, she longs to see a unicorn. Her hopes rise when she discovers that she is staying on the grounds of an old house called ""Unicorn Crossing,"" though everyone thinks she's being silly--except the owner, Mrs. Donovan, a mysterious old lady who immediately strikes a chord with Jenny. The brief story encompasses Jenny's stay at Unicorn Crossing and her repeated disappointments at unicorn sightings that turn out to be something else. Just when she has completely given up hope, Mrs. Donovan invites her, at dawn, to help gather roses, the unicorn's favorite food. . . This is less a story than a spell woven in words and a child's faith. The language is simple and suited to the subject and the heroine; the images are made real without being overwhelmed by description. By maintaining this delicacy, Luenn achieves the goal of making her unicorns and their believers seem alive, and magical as well. The result is a satisfying miniature of a book.