THE TALE OF THE UNICORN

by Otfried Preussler ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 1, 1989

In an original fairy tale by the respected German author of such fiction as The Satanic Mill, three brothers set out to find a unicorn with horn of ivory, hooves of gold, and a diamond star on his brow. Along the way, the first is diverted by marriage to a plump innkeeper's daughter; the second by the discovery of gold; but Hans, the youngest, persists ""through fire and water, through deepest night and coldest ice"" and is rewarded by sighting the unicorn. Taking aim with his rifle, he realizes that it is too lovely to kill and returns home with his story. Spirin's carefully detailed, lush, realistic paintings for this rather simple fable set it in a romanticized medieval world; his golden tones reinforce the setting, while the comically caricatured faces are more modern in spirit. The unicorn is more muscular than ethereal; there is no maiden. Just the thing for unicorn fanciers.

Pub Date: March 1, 1989

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Dial

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 1989

Categories: CHILDREN'S