Unicorns in Uniforms

by Beth Ferry, A N Kang (Illustrator)

No job is too big or too small for magical uniformed unicorns in this adorable and empowering picture book from New York Times bestselling author Beth Ferry!

We’re Unicorns in Uniforms!
We know just what to do.
We’re hoofed and horned and well-informed
And ready to help you!

Come join these caring unicorns as they work, play, and save the day—because when you’re a unicorn, U can do anything if you work together!

Genres: Picture Books

40 pages, Hardcover

Published May 26, 2026

About the author

Beth Ferry is the author of the picture books Stick and Stone and Land Shark. Her family has cared for myriad pets, including two land sharks, a hedgehog, a blue-tongued skink, and a heap of hamsters, but her absolutely perfect pet is an English bulldog named Winston. She lives in New Jersey.

Reviews

[Panda Incognito · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of my hobbies is overthinking picture books, and this one gave me lots of material. On its face, this is a charming story about unicorns who work hard to keep their community running. They are emergency workers, service providers, and manual laborers, and they use their skills to support all the magical creatures who live in their town. They also have good work/life balance, since they love to play and have fun together.

When a crisis brews, all of the unicorns work together to defeat the threat, and they clean up the debris and fix everything afterwards. Then they celebrate with a parade, and in a gesture of inclusivity towards all the non-unicorns in their town, they say that "everyone's a unicorn!" The end.

I have so many questions. When lots of magical creatures live in this town, why are the unicorns the only ones contributing to their town's safety and prosperity? Are the gnomes and pixies freeloaders who have never worked a day in their lives? Are the unicorns guilty of generations of hiring discrimination, where only their fellow unicorns get jobs? Do the other magical creatures commute for jobs outside of their town, or work remotely for tech and finance companies? Inquiring minds want to know!

This book does an admirable job of combining children's endless appetite for community helpers stories with the contemporary unicorn craze. The rhyming text and charming illustrations will delight young children, and the book has a nice message about teamwork and helping others. However, I would personally like this much better if the only characters in the story were unicorns. As it stands, I can't stop feeling suspicious about what's really going on in this town.

I received a temporary digital copy from NetGalley, and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

[Tonja Drecker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unicorns are busy and everywhere in a read which inspires and adds a bit of unexpected adventure, too.

In this fantasy town, unicorns are ready to make sure everything works as it should. From doctors to farmers, unicorns not only wear all sorts of uniforms, they do the work to match. Each unicorn contributes in their very own way to make life run smoothly. So when it's time to take a break, they are ready to relax in style. That is, until a dangerous storm comes their way.

This read slides into fantasy with unicorns, fairies and more, but uses this as a backdrop to showcase the huge variety of jobs needed to make a town work. All of these jobs are usual ones found in modern life and most will be familiar to the intended age group. Listeners/readers gain awareness for different forms of work, while also being entertained by the lively unicorns and their parade of uniforms. The jobs aren't described but simply mentioned. The illustrations take it from there and have many of the unicorns performing tasks related to their profession. About halfway through, the unicorns call it a day, and the tale shifts gears into a little more adventure as an evil and powerful dragon storm threatens an attack. There's a imaginative turn into action as the unicorns transfer into small action heroes and do their best to defeat the foe. The ending switches things up again and wraps things up on a very positive note. So, this is by no means a monotone tale.

The text flows smoothly and sticks to playful rhymes while the illustrations add details and enrich the plot. It creates a lovely read-aloud for groups and individual settings.

[Roland Conley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Working unicorns work together in this muted pastel story where rhymes don’t rhyme, but the community vibe fits.

In Beth Ferry’s standalone picture book, Unicorns in Uniforms, a community of working unicorns face fun and danger as they celebrate the power of working together. A. N. Kang’s illustrations are both whimsical and yet muted despite their pastel shades, reminiscent of books like The Yawnicorn by Emily Hamilton. Colors clearly reflect the tone of the story, bright colors disappearing when disaster strikes and lighter colors reappearing when the characters are celebrating.

While Ferry’s story has a positive message and magical creatures that young children would adore, the pacing is not consistent. The rhyming meter is interrupted throughout and I questioned why the unicorns were dressed like superheroes when fighting the dragon storm despite the implication being that they are firefighters and the story already showed unicorns in firefighter uniforms both before and after this part of the plot.

VERDICT: Working unicorns work together in this muted pastel story where rhymes don’t rhyme, but the community vibe fits.

***

Thank you Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Pub Date: May 26, 2026
ISBN: 9781665975421
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Review Posted Online: May 22, 2026

[Brittany · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley and Simon and Schuster Books for Young Reads for the opportunity to read Unicorns in Uniforms by Beth Ferry!

The story introduces you to all the helper unicorns around this magical town that help it to succeed- firefighters, mailmen, florists, etc. I thought this was a very original idea and a great way to introduce a variety of jobs and community helpers! You don’t always see unicorns and firefighters in the same book! Loved that! I also loved that the unicorns all worked together in the end to keep the town safe from the dragon storm. A parade to celebrate ended the book on a highlight.

This is a wonderful book for a parent to read to their child. I found the language a bit advanced when reading it with my first grader, but loved the rhyming scheme. I think it’s perfect for the age range of 4-8!

The illustrations by A. N. Kang were beautifully done and pleasing to look at while reading. They added a whimsical flare to the story and helped with engaging the reader!

Overall, an enjoyable read!

[Heidi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unicorns delivering the mail, teaching ballet, and putting out fires jump off the pages in this entertaining look at community. While each unicorn has a role in the community, they also live with trolls, pixies, fairies, and gnomes quite happily. When a dragon storm roles into town the unicorns band together (in superhero outfits) to fight it with their various talents. Some use magic, others put out fires and rescue gnomes and fairies. After the storm they work together to clean up the mess. While the message is pretty clear, the fun rhyming scheme and cute illustrations balance it out to create an enjoyable book that unicorn lovers will enjoy. Humorous touches add to the fun (ever seen a unicorn with a mustache? or glasses?). Unicorns riding on a bird carousel and riding in a hot air balloon or a unicorn with dreadlocks DJing a party makes for some delightful scenes. Not only a fun way to introduce children to community helpers but also to enjoy the author and illustrator's creativity. Recommended.

[Erika · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every unicorn has a job in this fantastical town. They are all clearly taking pride in their role, and every creature in town is grateful for that. Unicorns are everywhere, doing tasks that help the community. One day, a storm comes in, and all the unicorns have to find a way to fight the evil together... and they do! They unite to fight the evil dragon wind, and together they clean up, and together they celebrate. This book carries a very strong message. A message about unity and how important we each are individually to help the community. I truly hope this story will resonate with children. Perfect for the classroom, with its wonderful illustrations, the book also shows that unicorns are not only a girl thing!

[LORIANN (my opinion doesn't mean much, but ...) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one was hard it rate. I love unicorns! But the story was just not real entertaining. The animals just kinda dressed up and showed they did jobs and after they went to work they played. When aa crisis came about they knew how to band together and help save the day. while it was a good story, I just don't feel it was told as well as it could have been told. It just lacked emotion for me.

Thank You NetGalley Books, Beth Ferry and Simon & Schuster Books for allowing me ARC of this book to review. All opinions remain my own.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

"I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."
This was a cute children's book demonstrating different jobs in a community and "saving a community" by working together the workers were just all unicorns, which I happened to love. The illustrations were cute and colorful and I didn't find anything offensive or challenging in the text. I thought it was age appropriate.

[ebigeyl]

staff rec blurb, june 26: Whether it's teaching UNIversity or braiding manes, a unicorn's job is never quite done––especially when a scary, UNIdeal storm rolls in, threatening the safety of their multi-species commUNIty! Follow a colorful group of UNIted and determined unicorns as they work, play, and save the day from harsh winds and forest fire! Everyone has a UNIque talent to contribute!

[Britney Ireland · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you #NetGalley and to the publisher for the ARC read of #unicornsinuniforms

I found this to be an excellent book for children that I enjoyed and believe they will also. It teaches about how different unicorns do different things and if they work together they can help one another!

[Ambi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a cute book about the importance of working together as a team and community. We loved the pictures of the different unicorns in their uniforms, and the rhyming prose was sweet and sincere in its delivery.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

[Kara · Rating 5 out of 5]

A delightful picture book with the story told in bouncy rhyme and filled with fun illustrations of a village of fantasy creatures, and all the different jobs unirons do. These unicorns are big into Work Hard / Play Hard - and in an emergency they will work together to brave any danger.

[Christine Clark · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love finding unicorn books that are more than just rainbows and sparkles! This would be a popular pick for storytime. Definitely a recommendation for my library.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing this free arc in exchange for an honest review.