Lily the Unicorn

by Dallas Clayton

“Beautifully paced, and all will Lily is lovely.” – Kirkus Reviews Lily the unicorn loves making new friends and going on adventures! So when Lily meets her new pal, Roger the penguin, she plans all sorts of fun for them. But Roger is afraid of trying new things. What if he tries and fails? In this sweet story about friendship, Lily teaches young readers that the world is a fun, amazing place. Fans of An Awesome Book! and An Awesome Book of Love! will be thrilled by Dallas Clayton's delightful picture book filled with lively and detailed illustrations.

Genres: Picture Books, Unicorns, Friendship, Childrens, Storytime, Humor, Fantasy

48 pages, Hardcover

First published April 22, 2014

About the author

Dallas Clayton is an author, illustrator, public speaker, mural painter, and adventure seeker.

When he is not busy writing books (for children of all ages), touring the world, painting on buildings, or climbing trees, he is generally trying find happiness and share it with others.

Reviews

[Dest · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really this book should be called "Roger the Grumpy Penguin" because, even though Lily is an obvious and likable hero, the story is all about Roger's journey. His little frowny face is so compelling! Here are a few things about Roger: His favorite book is empty. His favorite store is closed. His favorite sport is resting. And (my personal favorite) his favorite hobby is organizing blank paper. Roger reminds me of Scaredy Squirrel, of course, and this book will appeal to fans of the multi-phobic rodent. Many of the pages are full of little drawings showing all the things Lily loves and all the things Roger doesn't.

I really liked this, but the ending was a bit abrupt as Roger is easily won over by Lily (she does give him an ice cream cone, which I guess could easily win me over, too). I was very happy to see his frowny face turn into a smile.

Too much detail for sharing at library story time, but a fun pick for ages 3-6.

[Marissa Elera · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love me some Dallas Clayton, and the dazzling quirkiness of Lily the unicorn is a total delight.

[Starbubbles · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a cute story about being true to yourself and reaching out to others. I want to be a unicorn too! haha!

[Melissa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Book review of Lily the Unicorn by Dallas Clayton

Lily the Unicorn was also given a pilot episode on Amazon, but the series doesn’t appear to have continued.

This book isn’t particular to unicorns. The Lily the unicorn character could have just been a horse for all the relevance unicorns have. It has some positive messaging about getting to know a new person and making new friends, but I generally found the book to be dull. I wouldn’t enjoy reading this to a child. There are tons of little mini drawings throughout the book, but generally it just feels like an excuse to draw a bunch of random things. Not recommended.

[Jennifer Heise · Rating 5 out of 5]

How could you not love Lily when Lily loves everything-- especially making friends (as well as making lots of other things)? But Lily's new friend doesn't want to do anything she suggests! She is very concerned. "What could be the problem?" And.. well, there's a happy ending with lots of flowers.

The over-the-top style with lots of small diverse illustrations (is New friend's problem Oatmeal lungs? Not enough Carrots? Overslept? etc..) is an intriguing layout, but repeat read/listeners who are beginning readers will enjoy following (and perhaps shouting) the large text balloon letters of the main plot as well. A feast for the eyes and a little moral about facing our qualms.

[Pam · Rating 2 out of 5]

Great idea but the font was difficult to read. The pages were a little too busy to appreciate all that Lily was trying to do. The idea that she has so much joy in life came through. Her new friend, Roger, was overwhelmed and scared and understandably so. Lily drowns him in ideas and projects. I appreciated his statement about not knowing him. That is the message that came through clearly. When she stopped and changed too, readers see friendship begin to grow.

[Clwseattle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lily the Unicorn is a Type A, confident, optimistic unicorn. The busy, busy pages show just how much she's excited about everything

Lily meets a new friend, Roger the penguin, who is as pessimistic and negative as Lily is an optimist.

It's cute enough but not a book I'll be buying for my grands.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unicorn loves to do everything, and he makes a new friend who doesn't like to do anything. Unicorn helps Penguin to learn to like new things.

Be sure to spend a lot of time on each page...there is SO much going on! But it's so fun.

[Miss Erica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Is there someone in your life that is a worrier, even though they may not mean to be? This is the book to read with them. Lily seems to have no worries, cares, or fears, where her new friend Roger has all of those. Will she be able to get her new friend to learn how amazing the world is?

[Erica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Is there someone in your life that is a worrier, even though they may not mean to be? This is the book to read with them. Lily seems to have no worries, cares, or fears, where her new friend Roger has all of those. Will she be able to get her new friend to learn how amazing the world is?

[Brittany · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unicorns are really "hot" right now among the kids, but boy oh boy is this book a doozy. So much on each page...it is almost overwhelming. This is not one for a read aloud. At all. The illustrations are ok, but that poor penguin looks so grumpy.

[Alison · Rating 1 out of 5]

Lily Unicorn is a joyful creature and will have great challenges in the future with the newly introduced Roger as a friend. I appreciate the attempt for acceptance of all people, but Roger is not going to be easily changed. He is dreadful.

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lily the Unicorn makes a new friend. The friend is a very cantankerous penguin who doesn't like anything or doing anything or going anywhere. The unlikely friendship proves good in the end. All right pictures and all right story.

[Ms. Jeane · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just adored this book! Sooooo cute!

[Carly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Boy, is Roger fortunate to have Lily as a friend. Let the traveling around and exploring and making friends begin!

[BiblioBeruthiel · Rating 2 out of 5]

Boy does this book just try to hit you over the head with a message. With that on top of the VERY OVERLY BUSY illustrations, I have a big no thanks for this one.

[Richelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was unique. The storyline was okay. The illustrations were interesting.

[Taylor Kundel-Gower · Rating 3 out of 5]

Best for one on one sharing. I like the kawaii looking doodles and the message, though it's a bit simplistic.

[Ed · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book. Wish it was around when my kids were younger.

[kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute but the illustrations leave a little to be desired

[Heather · Rating 2 out of 5]

I like the idea of the story, but the illustrations look like a Where's Waldo book (too busy for reading at storytime).

[Lucca · Rating 5 out of 5]

We loved loved this book. I am a Lily and I know my daughter will be someone’s Lily ❤️. I love being someone’s someone.

[Cassie · Rating 5 out of 5]

While the titular unicorn looks more like a dog wearing a unicorn horn, the message of the book is wonderful. Great message for kids with anxiety about trying new things. :)

[Angie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this exuberant book about friendship and overcoming fears. Each page is filled with labeled illustrations, which makes it enticing for early readers.

[Victoria Sanchez · Rating 5 out of 5]

For the past year I've been struggling to write a good, funny children's book about social anxiety - now I feel like I don't need to. I have a second grader with social anxiety and sensory processing disorder. Why this is relevant is that I am a children's book fanatic and it has really bothered me that there are less than a handful of well written, entertaining children's books about kids with anxiety. There are informative books and lots of books about shy kids and even some about anxiety specifically but very few. And of those few, only one good one I can think of (Rosemary Wells' Felix and the Worrier). Most children's books about anxiety tend to be how-to books for anxiety management forced into story form. If not, they are often poorly written and, frankly, just not that entertaining for kids. What I think makes a truly good children's book is writing and illustration that create enjoyment and Lily the Unicorn does exactly that. Lily is that character that all (American) kids are supposed to be: excited, extroverted, creating cacophony, into noise and mess and infinitely sunny. Roger is not. Roger is my kid. My sweet girl will resist all those new, sunny things and look pissed about it. But she's not. She's anxious. And she is hard wired to see the rainy side of life so it's a big struggle for her not to. As Roger says, "The world is full of scary things!" And that's what life is like for these kids. Not only is it scary, but Clayton's use of text and illustration perfectly mirrors how overwhelming and "so much" the world seems to them (SPD, anxious, autistic...fill in the blank here). Whether this was his intent or not, Clayton nail the profile of an anxious child. Likewise, Lily is the perfect therapist or OT or good friend. Positive, patient, and willing to model other ways to be. Those are exactly the type of people that children with anxiety learn from. But most importantly, Lily the Unicorn shows us these wildly disparate but very realistic characters in a silly, fun, ENJOYABLE way. My one piece of feedback? Maybe Lily could accept Roger for who Roger is but maybe that's what happens when she gets to "know" him well. Finally, lest you think this review is just an overly excited parent gushing, the real review was written by my daughter. I watched her pick up the book, read it (expressionless), and close it. She said nothing. Then she opened it again and read it through once more. When she finished, she took it into her room and set it on her bed table at the top of her stack of "currently reading" books. Five stars.

[Alice Blessing · Rating 5 out of 5]

love unicorn so I had to read it lol.

[Eric Hinkle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely little book.

At first glance it looks a bit cluttered, but I think kids would enjoy looking at all the little pictures of Lily's different inventions, Roger's favorite things, etc.

Check it out!

[Dawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exuberant Lily is a pink and blue unicorn with a bright yellow horn. She likes to make things, make music, make messes, and make friends. Her newest friend is a downcast penguin named Roger. He doesn’t like games or adventures, preferring to stay at home and rest. When Lily pesters Roger about his preferences, he confesses that he is anxious about all of the things he can’t do and what could go wrong. Lily listens to her new friend’s concerns and takes things slowly, beginning with an ice cream cone and a romp in the flowers.

Lily the Unicorn is like Mo Willem’s Elephant and Piggie series on speed. The entire story is two animals talking, but most pages are also jam-packed with over a dozen pictorial examples of whatever is being described. This breaks up traditional reading patterns, which could be a fun diversion, or overwhelming, depending on the child. School Library Journal describes the pictures as “breezy, colorful pen-and-ink cartoons that favor whimsy over precision”, and many are hilarious on their own. However, others require the caption to be funny – such as the briefcase captioned as Roger’s favorite toy – so reading aloud the first few times is a must. This would not make a good story time book, due to the small and numerous pictures, but preschoolers to second graders should enjoy it individually. Parents may also like this departure from traditional picture books, and also appreciate the book’s message.

[Paper Privateer · Rating 2 out of 5]

This review published by Brigham Young University's Children's Book and Media Review

Lily is a unicorn and she likes to make things. She likes to make gadgets, music, and messes, but she likes making friends most of all. When she makes a new friend, Roger, she’s worried that he doesn’t get out and have as much fun as he should. Lily plans some adventures, but Roger doesn’t want to go. She tries to come up with all kinds of ideas to do together, but when Roger isn’t interested in any of them, she wonders if something is wrong with Roger. Roger explains that there are a lot of uncertain things in the world, but together they learn to get past them and have fun anyway.

The pages of this book are chaotic. There are many words, illustrations, and big, blocky letters on every page. The information is amusing sometimes, but often feels overwhelming and can be hard to read. In some ways, it’s a nice reflection of how Roger could have anxiety and how that feels, but on the surface it feels like too much. It also is sad that Lily tries to make Roger more like her instead of appreciating him for who he is, even though it’s nice that she was his friend anyway and that she did encourage him to be less scared of things. It is a cute idea and there is some nice humor, but the chaos and Lily’s unwillingness to accept Roger for who he is makes it less effective than it could have been.

[Jennifer Strong · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lily is a unicorn who sees all the wonderful things about life. She's vivacious, silly, creative, and imaginative. Her favorite thing is to make friends. One day she makes friends with a penguin named Roger. He is the opposite of Lily. He doesn't like anything goofy, fun, or adventurous. As Lily seeks for something to do that Roger will enjoy, she questions what the problem could be. Roger answers that "the world is full of scary things!" (Like bed bugs, flat tires, smog, and tall buildings). Also, he doesn't know how to do so many other things (like fold origami, hit a bull's-eye, carve a pumpkin, or hit a home run). He doesn't believe he can try again if he fails. He doesn't believe there's all sorts of fun to be had. Lily hands him an ice cream cone and tells him that he can indeed enjoy life. Roger, trusting his new friend joins her, and the two jump happily into a pile of flowers.

Lily is a good friend. She never talked down to Roger or told him to get over his fears. She was there for him, listened to his concerns, and encouraged him to step outside of his comfort zone. This crazy colorful book emulates the childish love of life Lily (and real children) possess.