Dear Unicorn

by Josh Funk, Charles Santoso (Illustrator)

Two pen pals receive the shock of a lifetime in this giggle-inducing ode to friendship, art, and keeping an open mind!

Connie's art class is partnering up with pen pals this year, and she loves exchanging letters with her new friend, Nic, even though the two of them are polar opposites. Connie takes her art seriously and thinks things like kittens are nothing more than a distraction, while Nic has a more whimsical approach to painting and knows the value of a good cupcake. But both are eagerly awaiting the end of year pen pal art festival where their two classes will finally meet.

But they're in for quite the shock...

Connie doesn't know Nic is a unicorn. And Nic has no clue that Connie is a human.

It turns out, though, that even this surprise can't get in the way of true friendship. Through their letters, they see that their differences are their strengths--and that they lave a lot to learn from each other. 

With Josh Funk's signature laugh-out-loud humor and Charles Santoso's explosively fun illustrations, Dear Unicorn is a celebration of new friends, art, and stepping outside your comfort zone.

Genres: Picture Books, Unicorns, Childrens, Friendship, Art, Fantasy, Fiction

41 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 19, 2023

About the author

Josh Funk is the author of the Lady Pancake & Sir French Toast series, the How to Code with Pearl and Pascal series, Dear Unicorn, Dear Dragon, My Pet Feet, the It's Not a Fairy Tale series, Lost in the Library and more. His books have sold more than half a million copies worldwide and been translated into a dozen languages.

New in 2026: A Celebration of You (3.17) and The Dino Door (5.5).

Josh grew up in New England and studied Computer Science in school. Today, he still lives in New England and when not writing Java code or Python scripts, he drinks Java coffee and writes manuscripts. Since the fall of 2015, Josh has presented (or virtually presented) at over 950 schools, classrooms, and libraries.

Josh is terrible at writing bios, so please help fill in the blanks. Josh enjoys _______ during ________ and has always loved __________. He has played ____________ since age __ and his biggest fear in life is being eaten by a __________.

For more about Josh Funk, visit joshfunkbooks.com and at @joshfunkbooks on socials.

Reviews

[Tory · Rating 5 out of 5]

talented, brilliant, incredible, amazing, show stopping, spectacular, never the same, totally unique, completely not ever been done before, unafraid to reference or not reference, I absolutely love this.

[Sierra Dertinger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Utterly magical! Dear Unicorn is a pen pal exchange between a human and a unicorn, but neither know that! They are blending their art and pen pal units so each letter comes with a piece of art. What a fantastic book to use within the elementary classroom for a variety of purposes, for example: letter writing, character traits/analysis, and this could be applied to an art pen pal exchange with students too! I loved it and the illustrations were so bright and fun!

[T · Rating 5 out of 5]

We’ve read this book several times since it came. Dear Unicorn is adorable and magnificent and wonderful. Reminds me of the penpal I had as a kid. The illustrations are full of life. Pure joy! Highly recommend.

[Melanie Dulaney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Josh Funk (It’s Not The Three Little Pigs, My Pet Feet, Dear Dragon and more) writes terrific pictures books that can be read for their sheer entertainment and “fun” value but can also be used as a mentor text for a wide array of skills in elementary classrooms. Case in point, Dear Unicorn is a fun back and forth pen pal exchange between a human with a slightly negative outlook on things and an optimistic unicorn who have no clue that their letter-writing friend doesn’t look just like them! The illustrations add extra details that will provide clues to what will happen next (foreshadowing & prediction skills) and from the very beginning, it is clear that Connie and Nic have very different personalities and likes/dislikes that change over time (ample material for a variety of character-based skills). A “first choice” selection for collections geared to elementary school students.

[Doraeladhm]

عزل خزانات المياه هو عملية مهمة للحفاظ على نقاء وجودة المياه المخزنة في المنزل أو المنشأة التجارية. في الرياض، تعتبر عمليات عزل الخزانات ضرورية بسبب الظروف الجوية القاسية وارتفاع درجات الحرارة في المنطقة.تتضمن عملية عزل الخزانات تطبيق طبقة حماية عازلة على الجدران الداخلية والخارجية للخزان، وذلك لمنع تسرب الماء أو الرطوبة إلى الخارج ومنع اختراق أي مواد ضارة. يتم استخدام مواد عازلة مثل الألواح البلاستيكية، والأغشية البيتومينية، والمواد المطاطية المقاومة للماء لضمان العزل الفعال والمتين.عملية عزل الخزانات في الرياض تتطلب خبرة ومهارة فنية في التعامل مع المواد العازلة وضمان تطبيقها بشكل صحيح وفقًا للمعايير الفنية. لذلك، يُنصح بالاستعانة بشركات متخصصة في خدمات عزل الخزانات لضمان الجودة والأداء الممتاز للعمل.عزل خزانات المياه في الرياض ليس فقط يحمي المياه من التلوث والتلف، بل يساهم أيضًا في توفير استهلاك الطاقة والحفاظ على درجة حرارة المياه. كما يقلل من تكون الرواسب والتكتلات داخل الخزانات وبالتالي يحافظ على نظافة المياه وسلامتها للاستخدام الآمن.يعتبر عزل خزانات المياه في الرياض استثمارًا مهمًا للحفاظ على صحة الأفراد وتوفير الموارد المائية، ويساهم في الحفاظ على البيئة المحيطة.

شركة عزل خزانات بالرياض

[Rayna Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dear Unicorn is a sweet story about an unlikely friendship between a human little girl and a unicorn. Josh Funk has written another tale that fosters lessons around perception, making assumptions, and building community despite our differences. I enjoyed reading the letters between the two protagonists and thinking about what the other must be pondering as they get to know each other through words and art. Charles Santoso's beautiful illustrations fill the pages as readers follow along through a school year of letters. I love how this book could be used in so many lessons for an elementary classroom, from imagining a friendship between a character and an animal to envisioning art in connection with the words on the page. Dear Unicorn will float into your hearts! Enjoy! Thanks to Josh Funk for sharing this gem with the #Litreviewcrew!

[Tracy Barton · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a great book! My oldest daughter and I insist that unicorns are real (despite the ribbing we take from those around us). That made this book so much more fun! I also loved that this book was simply an exchange of letters between pen-pals. It was so clever. I especially loved the way one of the pen-pals always had a tendency to put a positive spin on things that may just has easily been looked at in a negative light... so much so that the other pen-pal began to change the way that THEY looked at things, too. I really appreciated that, as I've always tried to find the positive in things (though I definitely have my negative bouts, too).

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an electronic ARC from Viking Books for Young Readers through Edelweiss+.
Funk brings us a new pen pals book. Readers see the entire story unfold through the letters between the pen pals. Each shares more about themselves and treasures the art being shared. Readers see who both Connie and Nic are from the start but it is quite a surprise when they meet toward the end. The illustrations are colorful and so much fun to study. Details on their lives are everywhere. I appreciate how Connie's attitude changes as weh reads Nic's more positive spin letters.

[Caroline · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun epistolary picture book with an obvious hook. Connie's class is combining their art and pen pal unit this year, so they are writing letters and drawing pictures for a pen pal from a different school. Connie is a little bit of a cynic, but her pen pal Nic is all glitter and rainbows -- literally, she's a unicorn. The illustrations are bright and pastel and super cute and it's nice to Connie and Nic come out of their shells a little bit. The surprise at the end is fun -- readers will want to read this one again and again.

[Kiera Beddes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Connie and Nic have a pen pal writing assignment in their art classes. They send art and letters to each other and ask questions. The only thing is, they don’t know one is a unicorn and the other is a human! What is going to happen when they finally meet at the art festival?

Ah, this was such a cute and funny story. I also loved how the illustrations contributed so much to the story! You start to see bits and pieces from the letters show up in their regular lives as they build their pen pal relationship.

[Melanie Hetrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Connie, a human and Nic, a unicorn, begin exchanging letters and art projects in their schools pen pal program. they learn quite a big about each other except WHAT the other being is. Both assume their pen pal is just like them. When they meet in real life they are both surprised to find the other is...very other. However they both are excited to make art together.

Connie is a bit of a downer, but Nic is a good antithesis to her pessimism. Not recommended for storytime as it's kinda boring.

[Mosta S3ed]

تعتبر مكائن البيع الذاتي من الحلول الذكية والحديثة لتوفير المنتجات والخدمات بطريقة مريحة وسريعة في مختلف المواقع، سواء في المدارس أو المكاتب أو الأماكن العامة. ومن أبرز الشركات المتخصصة في هذا المجال داخل السعودية شركة الماكينة الآلية، التي تقدم تقنيات متطورة لتوفير ماكينة بيع ذاتي تتميز بالجودة العالية وسهولة الاستخدام.

[Raven Black · Rating 4 out of 5]

The cute companion to Dear Dragon by Funk has arrived! (Or will in September 2023). This is a fun story about a young girl and her pen pal, who do not realize they might have a lot in common, but they are not exactly completely alike! If you love unicorns and art this is the book for you. The artwork is a delightful touch and perfect for the story.

[Katie Reilley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely adored this companion to Funk’s Dear Dragon!

Told through letters, this sweet story pairs Connie and Nic as pen pals, swapping letters and artwork as they learn about each other.

With bright, vibrant illustrations and adorable end papers by Santoso, this picture book is a great discussion starter for readers to talk about making assumptions and embracing differences.

[Patricia N. McLaughlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

For all the unicorn lovers out there, this is your book. A girl shows how to turn school assignments into imaginative adventures when she becomes pen pals with a magical beast, writes silly letters back and forth, compiles them in a book, and sprinkles the pages with lots of colorful artwork. What a dynamic duo!

[Bethe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reading teacher and art teacher combine their pen pal project to include a piece of art with each letter. Readers will know the twist at the beginning - it’s fun to see the pen pals figure it out at the art festival at the end, even tho readers see the clues are sprinkled in the letters and artwork. Always love Santoso’s drawings.

[Heidi Yates · Rating 5 out of 5]

Check out this magical companion to Josh Funk’s DEAR DRAGON! It’s a charming pen pal adventure featuring two awesome artists, an upbeat unicorn, and cute kitties. (How can you beat that?) Charles Santoso’s bright and cheerful illustrations are the icing on the cake!

[Ellon · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars (I liked it)

This was cute and colorful. I did have a bit of trouble figuring out who was writing who. I went back to reread a few times. The letters are a little boring but the pen pal idea is cute.

[Nan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful illustrations. Fun letter writing book where the pen pals assume they look alike, but don’t. Also pessimistic girl writes to unicorn who sees the best in everything. They learn from each other and when they meet they have fun despite the differences.

[Angie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love this new pen pal book!

[Aaron · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a collaboration I have been looking forward to for some time and it didn't disappoint.

[Christine Barth · Rating 1 out of 5]

My daughter and I were both confused about who was writing to whom as it seemed to switch partway through the book.

[Quinn · Rating 5 out of 5]

My 7 year old loves the reveal, as well as the art they shared back and forth

[Amanda Okoronkwo]

Very good for younger

[Jaime · Rating 5 out of 5]

Letter writing

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this book!

[Abbigail · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super cute book about unicorns, friendship, puns and misunderstandings, pen pals, and art. Happy to add this to our very small number of unicorn books.

[Alyssa Gudenburr · Rating 3 out of 5]

A story of a girl and a unicorn as pen pals. Best as one-on-one story due to the details in the illustrations and the letters are small on the page.

[Miss Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

an elementary and up book where a unicorn and girl write letters about art back and forth to each other.

[CONSTANCE · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very cute picture book about two pen pals who become very close friends via their letters as they share things about their lives and what happens when they finally meet.