An amusing tale about unicorns in the city, with undertones of citizen action and female empowerment.
When New York City prosecutors try to debunk the “unicorns” in a circus, a young girl and her aunt’s friends defend the maligned mythical animals in court.
Actress-turned-author Sockwell makes her writing debut with a comical chapter book (heavily illustrated by her) whose point of departure is the Ringing Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus' displaying a live “unicorn” a few decades ago. The animal was actually a one-horned goat, and in Sockwell’s riff, there is an entire herd of them. New York schoolgirl Emily becomes enchanted with the creatures. She’s not enjoying class, and the notion of unicorns brings magic into Emily’s world—as does visiting her eccentric, cigar-smoking maiden aunt Betty, who comes accessorized with a set of equally quirky, strong-minded, middle-aged friends. When New York authorities and media crack down on the circus, accusing it of promulgating fraud and animal cruelty, Emily inspires Betty to get her activist-lawyer friend Marge to champion the case for legally recognized unicorn existence. In a denouement not unlike Miracle on 34th Street, Marge and Emily wind up in court attempting to prove to a jury the right of goats to self-identify as unicorns if that’s what they really want—in Sockwell’s universe, goats/unicorns and other animals can talk, testify, and behave just like humans (and worry about their futures in showbiz). While certain grown-up readers who demand to sift for agendas in all the whimsy may detect a subliminal argument for LGBT rights, young readers will likely just enjoy the gentle silliness of the prose and the line-art drawings. There are certainly undisguised themes of girl power (and mature woman power) and standing up for a cause one believes in, even if by the end of the clever story Emily seems a bit torn between an adult career as a crusading lawyer like Marge and a beguiling Hollywood actress with lots of swimsuits.
An amusing tale about unicorns in the city, with undertones of citizen action and female empowerment.Pub Date: July 5, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-63177-441-6
Page Count: 160
Publisher: Mascot Books
Review Posted Online: Oct. 10, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2016
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A friendship tale with solid messaging and plenty of fun sounds to share.
In this latest in the series, Little Blue Truck, driven by pal Toad, is challenged to a countryside race by Racer Red, a sleek, low-slung vehicle.
Blue agrees, and the race is on. Although the two start off “hood to hood / and wheel to wheel,” they switch positions often as they speed their way over dusty country roads. Blue’s farm friends follow along to share in the excitement and shout out encouragement; adult readers will have fun voicing the various animal sounds. Short rhyming verses on each page and several strategic page turns add drama to the narrative, but soft, mottled effects in the otherwise colorful illustrations keep the competition from becoming too intense. Racer Red crosses the finish line first, but Blue is a gracious loser, happy to have worked hard. That’s a new concept for Racer Red, who’s laser-focused on victory but takes Blue’s words (“win or lose, it’s fun to try!”) to heart—a revelation that may lead to worthwhile storytime discussions. When Blue’s farm animal friends hop into the truck for the ride home, Racer Red tags along and learns a second lesson, one about speed. “Fast is fun, / and slow is too, / as long as you’re / with friends.”
A friendship tale with solid messaging and plenty of fun sounds to share. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 25, 2025
ISBN: 9780063387843
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Clarion/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Jan. 18, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Continuing to find inspiration in the work of Virginia Lee Burton, Munro Leaf and other illustrators of the past, Long (The Little Engine That Could, 2005) offers an aw-shucks friendship tale that features a small but hardworking tractor (“putt puff puttedy chuff”) with a Little Toot–style face and a big-eared young descendant of Ferdinand the bull who gets stuck in deep, gooey mud. After the big new yellow tractor, crowds of overalls-clad locals and a red fire engine all fail to pull her out, the little tractor (who had been left behind the barn to rust after the arrival of the new tractor) comes putt-puff-puttedy-chuff-ing down the hill to entice his terrified bovine buddy successfully back to dry ground. Short on internal logic but long on creamy scenes of calf and tractor either gamboling energetically with a gaggle of McCloskey-like geese through neutral-toned fields or resting peacefully in the shade of a gnarled tree (apple, not cork), the episode will certainly draw nostalgic adults. Considering the author’s track record and influences, it may find a welcome from younger audiences too. (Picture book. 5-8)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2009
ISBN: 978-0-399-25248-8
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Philomel
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2009
SEEN & HEARD
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