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Phoebe and Her Unicorn #4
Razzle Dazzle Unicorn
Phoebe and Her Unicorn is back with more sparkles than ever! In this fourth volume, join in the adventure as Phoebe and Marigold confront messy rooms, trouble at school, and a nasty case of "Sparkle Fever." Follow the pair back to Camp Wolfgang, where their old pals Sue (a.k.a. "Monster Girl") and Ringo, the lake creature, remind them that being weird is WAY more fun than being normal.
186 pages, Hardcover
First published September 20, 2016
281 people are currently reading
1039 people want to read
About the author
Dana Simpson
61 books336 followersDana Claire Simpson grew up in Gig Harbor, Washington, drawing the entire time. She eventually graduated from The Evergreen State College, despite having spent all her time drawing, and not always for credit.
Attempts at doing real work along the way are hardly worth mentioning; the relevant fact is that, from 1998 to 2008, she drew the internet comic strip Ozy and Millie. After winning the Amazon-sponsored Comic Strip Superstar Contest in 2009, Universal Uclick signed her to a development deal for Heavenly Nostrils.
She currently lives in the Seattle area with her tech genius husband and her fairly stupid cat.
Attempts at doing real work along the way are hardly worth mentioning; the relevant fact is that, from 1998 to 2008, she drew the internet comic strip Ozy and Millie. After winning the Amazon-sponsored Comic Strip Superstar Contest in 2009, Universal Uclick signed her to a development deal for Heavenly Nostrils.
She currently lives in the Seattle area with her tech genius husband and her fairly stupid cat.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 218 reviews
April 14, 2019
Marigold’s name earned plenty of nerd points for me when I read Dana Simpson’s introduction to this collection. Dana explains she put her name into an online unicorn name generator and what popped out was … Marigold Heavenly Nostrils! Best story of the week!
After forcing myself to have a short break from this series I needed to know what was next for this girl and her unicorn (or perhaps that should be ‘this unicorn and her girl’).
Phoebe decides she doesn’t want to rule the world. Marigold learns that humans are better with a soundtrack. Todd the candy dragon, a goblin, Dakota and Max were back, but my new favourite superhero and villain were absent. Phoebe starts a journal. Marigold comes down with sparkle fever. Phoebe’s room disappears. Then Phoebe and Marigold return to music camp and get to hang out with Sue and Ringo, the lake monster.
Phoebe’s father solved the ‘hiding the Christmas presents’ dilemma.
After forcing myself to have a short break from this series I needed to know what was next for this girl and her unicorn (or perhaps that should be ‘this unicorn and her girl’).
Phoebe decides she doesn’t want to rule the world. Marigold learns that humans are better with a soundtrack. Todd the candy dragon, a goblin, Dakota and Max were back, but my new favourite superhero and villain were absent. Phoebe starts a journal. Marigold comes down with sparkle fever. Phoebe’s room disappears. Then Phoebe and Marigold return to music camp and get to hang out with Sue and Ringo, the lake monster.
Phoebe’s father solved the ‘hiding the Christmas presents’ dilemma.
Though this isn’t my favourite collection and some comics have become a tad repetitive I still really enjoyed this read. It already feels like I’m reading about old friends and I wish I had a kidlet to enjoy this series with.
July 28, 2019
This book covers almost a year: starts with Thanksgiving and ends with summer camp.
Marigold gets sparkle fever, so Phoebe has to take the school bus.
Spring comes, you learn about the difference between common orns and unique orns, and a room cleaning spell goes wrong.
There are some spectacular moments, like this:
Max and the parents are still awesome, so are Sue and Ringo the lake monster.
And you also learn some more new things about unicorns:
Marigold gets sparkle fever, so Phoebe has to take the school bus.
“I think I need to lie down. I have felt this coming for days. It is the sparkle fever.”
“Is it dangerous?”
“No, just sparkly.”
Spring comes, you learn about the difference between common orns and unique orns, and a room cleaning spell goes wrong.
There are some spectacular moments, like this:
Phoebe to some playing girls:
“Hey, can I have a turn?”
“Sorry. Everybody thinks you’re weird.”
“How does being weird make me less able to jump over a rope?”
Phoebe to Marigold:
“I never got an answer. Must’ve been a challenging question.”
Max and the parents are still awesome, so are Sue and Ringo the lake monster.
And you also learn some more new things about unicorns:
“In stories, every bad guy always wants to rule the world. But that sounds like a lot of work to me.”
“Oh, it is. Long ago, unicorns rules the worlds for almost an hour. Then we gave up.”
“Not worth the stress?”
November 30, 2021
Phoebe- I texted you a photo earlier
Marigold Unicorn- My horn is not good at receiving photo texts
Phoebe- So my phone is better than your horn!
Marigold- My horn is more BEAUTIFUL.
Phoebe- Well, my phone isn't glued to my face. (PG. 103)
So I am loving this series by Dana Simpson. My daughter loves it also but at 5 yrs old I think the humor goes over her head. She giggles at some things but other things require definitions and meanings of phrases. So that being said this is not a good book for little kids. Sometimes Phoebe acts like a brat and says things like "Stupid face" or "Idiot" etc. Good for older kids but not for little kids.
I like it because Phoebe and Marigold feed off of each others humor and their banter is amusing. It is witty and the pictures are drawn beautifully. Who wouldn't want to be best friends with a magical Unicorn?
Marigold Unicorn- My horn is not good at receiving photo texts
Phoebe- So my phone is better than your horn!
Marigold- My horn is more BEAUTIFUL.
Phoebe- Well, my phone isn't glued to my face. (PG. 103)
So I am loving this series by Dana Simpson. My daughter loves it also but at 5 yrs old I think the humor goes over her head. She giggles at some things but other things require definitions and meanings of phrases. So that being said this is not a good book for little kids. Sometimes Phoebe acts like a brat and says things like "Stupid face" or "Idiot" etc. Good for older kids but not for little kids.
I like it because Phoebe and Marigold feed off of each others humor and their banter is amusing. It is witty and the pictures are drawn beautifully. Who wouldn't want to be best friends with a magical Unicorn?
August 4, 2016
(Digital copy gently provided by Netgalley in Read Now)
Age Range: 8 to 12
Cute and Fluffy. Another day-a-day kind of story about a girl and her best friend: Unicorn!
The first pages were really simplistic, not as I remembered the last delivery. But is funny, embracing friendship and support for er 'strangeness'. Besides show love for books and music too. Portraying nerd parents, and frenemies. Lovely to read with children I think; thought not sure to 12 years olds ('couse I was reading classics at that age, but maybe that was me : shrugs:).
However it was fun.
_A little something I didn't like: when the lady counselor at summer camp to be asked about a girl by her name, she says: 'ah, the monster girl' (seriously? name-calling by an adult? not good)
Age Range: 8 to 12
Cute and Fluffy. Another day-a-day kind of story about a girl and her best friend: Unicorn!
The first pages were really simplistic, not as I remembered the last delivery. But is funny, embracing friendship and support for er 'strangeness'. Besides show love for books and music too. Portraying nerd parents, and frenemies. Lovely to read with children I think; thought not sure to 12 years olds ('couse I was reading classics at that age, but maybe that was me : shrugs:).
However it was fun.
_A little something I didn't like: when the lady counselor at summer camp to be asked about a girl by her name, she says: 'ah, the monster girl' (seriously? name-calling by an adult? not good)
June 5, 2022
Eenhoorn is mijn spirit animal. Maar echt. Wat een heerlijke droge humor 🤣
March 6, 2019
I’m having a blast reading these books with my niece! I mail each book to her (we live in different states) when I’m finished. She recently bought one at her school’s book fair so she could send it to me. What a sweetie! 💕🦄✨
Phoebe is my kind of girl. I love how secure she is in her uniqueness. Her parents are fabulous, too. Cute and clever. Plus sparkles!
Phoebe is my kind of girl. I love how secure she is in her uniqueness. Her parents are fabulous, too. Cute and clever. Plus sparkles!
October 3, 2016
We've all known kids like Phoebe. Or maybe we've all been kids like Phoebe. Possibly even with a unicorn like Marigold Heavenly Nostrils. I especially loved the panels about reading a book together, and Marigold's music camp crush. These books are such fun to share with kids, or just to make us all laugh when times are tough.
The Glossary is a great idea for young readers! The final section - Learn the Creative Process - is a terrific way for kids to learn about how a comic or graphic novel is made.
Thanks to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.
The Glossary is a great idea for young readers! The final section - Learn the Creative Process - is a terrific way for kids to learn about how a comic or graphic novel is made.
Thanks to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.
February 27, 2018
Just dazzling -- no, razzle dazzling. Another solid book full of Phoebe and Marigold. Never get tired of Marigold winning arguments by declaring, "UNICORN."
March 2, 2017
My kiddos and I loved this one. We can't wait to read the next one together.
November 2, 2020
splendor is now a funny word to my little gremlins.
October 8, 2020
As always, I love the interactions between Marigold and Phoebe, though now I love even more the portrayal of Phoebe's parents. Probably because I am them, or they are me, or something.
February 7, 2017
Not the best in the series. Still adorable though.
October 8, 2023
I'm going through these too fast to keep up with reviewing them. And my memory for individual details isn't holding up. So I may just copy this as the review for those I've read, at least for as long as the quality keeps up. My review of the first should hold up for the rest.
Okay, one note. Phoebe's dad is totally me. He even looks like me since I've grown my hair out. It's uncanny.
Okay, one note. Phoebe's dad is totally me. He even looks like me since I've grown my hair out. It's uncanny.
May 11, 2021
I'm disgusted by you, Dana Simpson.
How dare you compare this worthless piece of filth to 'Calvin And Hobbes', the name that shouldn't even be used from your mouth. I would've gave you and your ridiculous book a chance, but the forward I saw in one of your books made me want to rip it into a thousand pieces and use it to wipe my dogs butt. I hate this book with a BURNING PASSION.
Bill Watterson will be better then you and your stupid, useless vector art pictures will ever be.
Calvin and Hobbes is a breathtakingly unique concept, a book that is treasured for the love, humor, worry, passion and sadness spilled into the pages. His book is genius, and if I could read one thing for the rest of my life, it would be that. Your art is messy and you REUSE THE SAME PANEL OVER AND OVER like we're all too stupid to notice.
Not only do you compare, but you say you're book is BETTER, and Calvin and Hobbes is boring.
And yet here you are, sitting and your trashy high and mighty throne, using and pushing down other authors to lift yourself up.
I wish to never set sight on another one of these books again.
Grow up, Dana Simpson.
And while you're at it, keep the name Bill Watterson out of your immature mouth.
(As for this review, you are JUST the type to be sneaking on Goodreads and acting like you aren't reading your own reviews- Yet here you are. Hopefully this well help you GET A CLUE.)
How dare you compare this worthless piece of filth to 'Calvin And Hobbes', the name that shouldn't even be used from your mouth. I would've gave you and your ridiculous book a chance, but the forward I saw in one of your books made me want to rip it into a thousand pieces and use it to wipe my dogs butt. I hate this book with a BURNING PASSION.
Bill Watterson will be better then you and your stupid, useless vector art pictures will ever be.
Calvin and Hobbes is a breathtakingly unique concept, a book that is treasured for the love, humor, worry, passion and sadness spilled into the pages. His book is genius, and if I could read one thing for the rest of my life, it would be that. Your art is messy and you REUSE THE SAME PANEL OVER AND OVER like we're all too stupid to notice.
Not only do you compare, but you say you're book is BETTER, and Calvin and Hobbes is boring.
And yet here you are, sitting and your trashy high and mighty throne, using and pushing down other authors to lift yourself up.
I wish to never set sight on another one of these books again.
Grow up, Dana Simpson.
And while you're at it, keep the name Bill Watterson out of your immature mouth.
(As for this review, you are JUST the type to be sneaking on Goodreads and acting like you aren't reading your own reviews- Yet here you are. Hopefully this well help you GET A CLUE.)
April 9, 2017
I want a Unicorn.
July 9, 2023
I’ve got to hand it to my daughter, this series is great! I love the humour. It brings me right back to Saturday mornings at the kitchen table reading each comic strip and laughing along (those rare times that I actually understood the joke). Thankful for this bonding experience with my girl.
October 22, 2019
I've seen Phoebe and Her Unicorn books go by at the library, and aside from thinking the name Marigold Heavenly Nostrils a bit ridiculous, I never thought about them much.
Saturday, a coworker asked if I could drop a copy of this one at a different library, because it had mistakenly been returned to us, and I live near that other library. I said sure. Later I picked it up to look at it, just because I was bored, and I accidentally kept reading.
I was not prepared for how good it was.
IT'S CUTE. AND CLEVER. AND FUNNY. AND SWEET. AND USES BIG WORDS.
I underestimated it so much and I regret not finding that out sooner. But at least I know now!
I only got through about half the book Saturday, and I decided I shouldn't keep someone else's library book and potentially rack up fines for them, so I responsibly returned the book that night. I waited impatiently, and I finally got a copy to finish it today.
If you're in need of a fun comic, I definitely recommend this one.
Also. I must acknowledge Phoebe's parents. PHOEBE'S PARENTS. THEY'RE GREAT. They play video games - both of them! - and are simultaneously portrayed as responsible adults who have their own great relationship and are perfectly capable of working and parenting and all the other adult things. And not in a, "Look at this anomaly!" sort of way. It's ridiculously refreshing. They look like what people from my generation would look like as good parents, and I love it, and I'm ready to encounter more of this in fiction until it's not weird and notable anymore.
Saturday, a coworker asked if I could drop a copy of this one at a different library, because it had mistakenly been returned to us, and I live near that other library. I said sure. Later I picked it up to look at it, just because I was bored, and I accidentally kept reading.
I was not prepared for how good it was.
IT'S CUTE. AND CLEVER. AND FUNNY. AND SWEET. AND USES BIG WORDS.
I underestimated it so much and I regret not finding that out sooner. But at least I know now!
I only got through about half the book Saturday, and I decided I shouldn't keep someone else's library book and potentially rack up fines for them, so I responsibly returned the book that night. I waited impatiently, and I finally got a copy to finish it today.
If you're in need of a fun comic, I definitely recommend this one.
Also. I must acknowledge Phoebe's parents. PHOEBE'S PARENTS. THEY'RE GREAT. They play video games - both of them! - and are simultaneously portrayed as responsible adults who have their own great relationship and are perfectly capable of working and parenting and all the other adult things. And not in a, "Look at this anomaly!" sort of way. It's ridiculously refreshing. They look like what people from my generation would look like as good parents, and I love it, and I'm ready to encounter more of this in fiction until it's not weird and notable anymore.
April 25, 2019
These books are just so much fun!
In this installment, Marigold gets "Sparkle Fever" (sort of like a cold for unicorns), makes Phoebe's room temporarily vanish, and follows her friend to another year of summer camp.
I enjoyed the summer camp scenes a little more in this one. When we first met Sue, she freaked me out. (She came across as a little psychopath.) In this book, she's more odd than frightening. The interactions with the lake monster, Ringo, are kind of fun, too. (Marigold even gets a crush!)
The back matter in this volume features the author talking about the creative process and how she puts together a comic strip. There's also a glossary of tricky words to help kids figure out what some of the panels are trying to say. I still don't think this is really a series for young children, in part due to the complex language and the jokes that will go over their heads. (It's not inappropriate for children, it's just a little too advanced. When you have words like "feign", "prescient", and "schism" in a book, it's probably not for early readers!)
Overall, this is another fun book about Phoebe and Marigold. On to the next one!
Quotable moment:
In this installment, Marigold gets "Sparkle Fever" (sort of like a cold for unicorns), makes Phoebe's room temporarily vanish, and follows her friend to another year of summer camp.
I enjoyed the summer camp scenes a little more in this one. When we first met Sue, she freaked me out. (She came across as a little psychopath.) In this book, she's more odd than frightening. The interactions with the lake monster, Ringo, are kind of fun, too. (Marigold even gets a crush!)
The back matter in this volume features the author talking about the creative process and how she puts together a comic strip. There's also a glossary of tricky words to help kids figure out what some of the panels are trying to say. I still don't think this is really a series for young children, in part due to the complex language and the jokes that will go over their heads. (It's not inappropriate for children, it's just a little too advanced. When you have words like "feign", "prescient", and "schism" in a book, it's probably not for early readers!)
Overall, this is another fun book about Phoebe and Marigold. On to the next one!
Quotable moment:
Read
October 30, 2021This one is about Phoebe making friends with a red-headed girl. And it says that people call her Monster Girl since they're just jealous of her pet sea monster that is magical. I liked this book because it had a new girl in it.
February 24, 2021
I don't think I'm ever going to tire of Marigold's love for herself.
Also: the goblin's name is Blaaartholemew. I mean.....how could I not remember that?
And the creepy clarinet player? It me.
Also: the goblin's name is Blaaartholemew. I mean.....how could I not remember that?
And the creepy clarinet player? It me.
March 7, 2021
The John Cage 4’33“ jokes are worth an additional half-star, at least
August 7, 2017
'Razzle Dazzle Unicorn' by Dana Simpson is the 4th collection of comic strips about Phoebe and her unicorn.
This time around Phoebe starts playing a role playing game with her friend Max. Heavenly Nostril comes down with a cold and sneezes sparkles. Phoebe keeps a journal about everything, and Phoebe and Heavenly Nostril go back to summer camp to meet up with old friends.
This is still a fun series to read. I love the vanity of Heavenly Nostrils, and yet she is a loyal friend. Phoebe is a great main character and seems like such a normal kid. I will continue to read and enjoy this series.
I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Andrews McMeel Publishing and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.
This time around Phoebe starts playing a role playing game with her friend Max. Heavenly Nostril comes down with a cold and sneezes sparkles. Phoebe keeps a journal about everything, and Phoebe and Heavenly Nostril go back to summer camp to meet up with old friends.
This is still a fun series to read. I love the vanity of Heavenly Nostrils, and yet she is a loyal friend. Phoebe is a great main character and seems like such a normal kid. I will continue to read and enjoy this series.
I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Andrews McMeel Publishing and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.
December 10, 2018
The delightful and often quirky adventures of Phoebe and Marigold for another year!
I find Phoebe and Marigold so much fun, so more adventures with them the better! Talking about Thanksgiving traditions, a parenting win for Phoebe's dad with hiding her presents, New Year's resolutions, DND-ing with Max and another year at music summer camp! Good thoughts on friendships as well.
No content issues.
February 21, 2017
Text: 3 stars
Art: 4 stars
Another volume of compiled comic strips about the precocious little girl Phoebe and her magical bff, the unicorn named Marigold Heavenly Nostrils. How is it that seasons come and go, yet Phoebe forever remains nine years old? Not as choppy as previous compilations in this series.
Art: 4 stars
Another volume of compiled comic strips about the precocious little girl Phoebe and her magical bff, the unicorn named Marigold Heavenly Nostrils. How is it that seasons come and go, yet Phoebe forever remains nine years old? Not as choppy as previous compilations in this series.
December 1, 2017
I really love this series, and this book was enjoyable, but not as funny as the others.
August 6, 2018
Super cute can't get enough of this little girl and her Unicorn ❤️
January 19, 2020
I liked the part were Sue said "is there a word for you two are boring lets go set something on fire?"😂
February 13, 2021
I'm a big fan of Ringo the lake monster (and his bathing suit.)
April 3, 2024
phoebe and marigold heavenly nostrils you will literally always be famous!!
March 29, 2025
Such a fun series! I read one of these books before bed each night!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 218 reviews