What do you think?
Rate this book
Unicorn Training
Tilly Teasel loves working at the Unicorn Rescue Center but what she really wants, more than anything else, is a unicorn of her very own.
When Splodge shows up at the center, looking a bit scruffy and a little sad, Tilly decides he’s perfect! When she brings him home, however, Mr. and Mrs. Teasel aren’t so convinced especially when he eats Mr. Teasel’s slippers, whines all night and gets sparkly hoof prints all over the couch! Will Tilly convince her parents that all Splodge needs is a little training?
When Splodge shows up at the center, looking a bit scruffy and a little sad, Tilly decides he’s perfect! When she brings him home, however, Mr. and Mrs. Teasel aren’t so convinced especially when he eats Mr. Teasel’s slippers, whines all night and gets sparkly hoof prints all over the couch! Will Tilly convince her parents that all Splodge needs is a little training?
32 pages, Hardcover
Published November 19, 2019
1 person is currently reading
33 people want to read
About the author
Amanda Brandon
25 books1 followerAmanda Brandon lives with her husband and two children in Essex. She was born and educated in the county and spent 13 years as a newspaper journalist before turning to writing for children. She enjoys reading, writing, and dancing (although has yet to try all three at the same time!)
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews
October 24, 2019
This was pretty fun.
I especially enjoyed the expressions on the unicorn faces.
This book is probably more about trying hard and not giving up than anything else.
In any case I think tiny humans and adults alike can get a giggle out of this and will enjoy the illustrations.
Thank you NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group - QEB for my DRC.
I especially enjoyed the expressions on the unicorn faces.
This book is probably more about trying hard and not giving up than anything else.
In any case I think tiny humans and adults alike can get a giggle out of this and will enjoy the illustrations.
Thank you NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group - QEB for my DRC.
January 5, 2020
Well it's got unicorns in it so that gives it 5 stars right away for me (lol). I love how vibrant, colourful and fun this story is. Even the unicorn's name, Splodge, is cute and fun.
This is a good story about the difficulties (and successes) that happen when you take care of an animal. If your child is desperate for a pet (even a fish) this is a good story to start their education on why a pet is a lot, and how they are in your home. However be warned it does end well and children may interpret that as meaning 'okay ready for a pet now'.
I could see toddlers really enjoying the simplicity of the story and that age group loves having fun words to yell out like 'toot' and 'whoa'. Perhaps a little too stimulating for bedtime this is a good daytime read to calm kiddos down a touch.
Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.
This is a good story about the difficulties (and successes) that happen when you take care of an animal. If your child is desperate for a pet (even a fish) this is a good story to start their education on why a pet is a lot, and how they are in your home. However be warned it does end well and children may interpret that as meaning 'okay ready for a pet now'.
I could see toddlers really enjoying the simplicity of the story and that age group loves having fun words to yell out like 'toot' and 'whoa'. Perhaps a little too stimulating for bedtime this is a good daytime read to calm kiddos down a touch.
Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.
November 3, 2019
5☆ A Heart Warming and Fun Children's Story about caring for a pet.
First of all I want to start by saying I absolutely LOVE the eye catching, bright and colourful illustrations, it really bought this heart warming story to life!
Tilly helps out at her local Unicorn Rescue Sanctuary and she loves the unicorns so much she wishes she could rescue one herself.
Well it's a good job Splodge turns up. As Tilly falls in love with him straight away and a bond is formed.
No one said looking after a pet is easy and Splodge is mischievous, cheeky, full of energy, fun, and a zest for adventure.
If only he would listen to Tilly.
Tilly has to learn ways to train Splodge to be more obedient and listen or she is worried her parents will get rid of him.
What I loved about this book was that Tilly refused to give up even when things got tough. It Teaches children how important it is to care for all aspects of raising a pet, not just the fun bits. It Teaches responsibility and perseverance. That patience pays off eventually.
The Characters are Endearing and beautifully drawn out.
The moral of the story is a strong message and is very easy for all ages to understand.
I loved the short sharp dialogue, it helps to keep children's attention.
I also liked thatat the back of the book there was points for discussion and games to play. Although some of those are more geared to the older readers, so some adaption might be needed.
Unicorn Training by Amanda Brandon is the perfect anytime read for children aged 4-9.
Its heart warming, fun, cheeky, and very endearing. I will definitely recommend reading it, it would make a wonderful present.
Thank you to Quarto Publishing and Netgalley for this copy which I reviewed honestly and voluntarily.
First of all I want to start by saying I absolutely LOVE the eye catching, bright and colourful illustrations, it really bought this heart warming story to life!
Tilly helps out at her local Unicorn Rescue Sanctuary and she loves the unicorns so much she wishes she could rescue one herself.
Well it's a good job Splodge turns up. As Tilly falls in love with him straight away and a bond is formed.
No one said looking after a pet is easy and Splodge is mischievous, cheeky, full of energy, fun, and a zest for adventure.
If only he would listen to Tilly.
Tilly has to learn ways to train Splodge to be more obedient and listen or she is worried her parents will get rid of him.
What I loved about this book was that Tilly refused to give up even when things got tough. It Teaches children how important it is to care for all aspects of raising a pet, not just the fun bits. It Teaches responsibility and perseverance. That patience pays off eventually.
The Characters are Endearing and beautifully drawn out.
The moral of the story is a strong message and is very easy for all ages to understand.
I loved the short sharp dialogue, it helps to keep children's attention.
I also liked thatat the back of the book there was points for discussion and games to play. Although some of those are more geared to the older readers, so some adaption might be needed.
Unicorn Training by Amanda Brandon is the perfect anytime read for children aged 4-9.
Its heart warming, fun, cheeky, and very endearing. I will definitely recommend reading it, it would make a wonderful present.
Thank you to Quarto Publishing and Netgalley for this copy which I reviewed honestly and voluntarily.
October 17, 2019
Unicorn Training is about the responsibility of pet ownership. Really, the animal could be everything (in fact, if you switch the unicorn out for a dog, the story still works). Tilly does everything she can to try to turn Splodge into the perfect pet. But it takes perseverance and patience (and a lot of treats) to make this happen.
My complaints about this book are mostly of the technical variety. For some reason, a new trend in picture books seems to be italicizing people's speech. I don't understand the purpose of this, and it could potentially confuse kids who are just learning what italics are actually used for. I'm also not completely impressed with the grammar; it's a bit shaky in places. And, finally, I really don't see the purpose of the last page with tips for parents. The "projects" for kids are kind of boring, and I don't see many parents actually sitting down with their children to do them. (That part of the book might be better for teachers, but again, the "projects" aren't very interesting.)
I can see this being a good book for kids whose parents are looking into getting a pet. It shows the importance of taking responsibility for the critter under your care. The illustrations are cute, too, and there are just enough poop and fart jokes to amuse kids. Because of the technical issues with the writing, I think this might work best as a read-aloud book (so that nobody gets confused by sentence fragments or the weird use of italics).
Thank you to NetGalley and QED Publishing for providing a digital ARC.
My complaints about this book are mostly of the technical variety. For some reason, a new trend in picture books seems to be italicizing people's speech. I don't understand the purpose of this, and it could potentially confuse kids who are just learning what italics are actually used for. I'm also not completely impressed with the grammar; it's a bit shaky in places. And, finally, I really don't see the purpose of the last page with tips for parents. The "projects" for kids are kind of boring, and I don't see many parents actually sitting down with their children to do them. (That part of the book might be better for teachers, but again, the "projects" aren't very interesting.)
I can see this being a good book for kids whose parents are looking into getting a pet. It shows the importance of taking responsibility for the critter under your care. The illustrations are cute, too, and there are just enough poop and fart jokes to amuse kids. Because of the technical issues with the writing, I think this might work best as a read-aloud book (so that nobody gets confused by sentence fragments or the weird use of italics).
Thank you to NetGalley and QED Publishing for providing a digital ARC.
October 22, 2019
Tilly loves helping her parents with their Unicorn Rescue Center, but she wants to train an unicorn herself. Enter Splodge, a scruffy, dirty unicorn who needs a lot of extra TLC! There are several hilarious pages of Splodge doing things he shouldn't (like eating Mr. Teasel's slippers, or making a mess of Tilly's bed), which makes Tilly's parents uncertain that Splodge is the right unicorn for Tilly. But hard work and patience eventually turns Splodge into a model unicorn, and everyone is happy at the end.
Bonus points: my preschooler fell in love with the illustrations, and put in a request for a print version when it comes out. As she's probably the target audience for this book, I'd say this is a win!
Bonus points: my preschooler fell in love with the illustrations, and put in a request for a print version when it comes out. As she's probably the target audience for this book, I'd say this is a win!
October 20, 2019
Review to be added to Amazon UK and US on 19th November 2019 - publication day!
I thought that this was a lovely story and I thought that the images were perfect!
I read the book to my daughter and as soon as she saw the pictures her face lit up and I knew it was going to be a massive hit with her – after all, there are not many little girls out there that don’t love unicorns!
The story was easy to read and follow and it had a lovely flow to it. I thought it was excellent and as a parent, it was great as she was hooked and asked for it to be read again straight after – always a good sign for me!! It is 5 stars from us for this one, very highly recommended!!
I thought that this was a lovely story and I thought that the images were perfect!
I read the book to my daughter and as soon as she saw the pictures her face lit up and I knew it was going to be a massive hit with her – after all, there are not many little girls out there that don’t love unicorns!
The story was easy to read and follow and it had a lovely flow to it. I thought it was excellent and as a parent, it was great as she was hooked and asked for it to be read again straight after – always a good sign for me!! It is 5 stars from us for this one, very highly recommended!!
November 3, 2019
This book was sent to me to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.
This book is a beautifully illustrated story that is bright and eye-catching and draws the reader/audience in. My little one really enjoyed this story and wanted to read it again straight after I read it to her.
This book is great for teaching children about the importance of having a pet - that it can be a challenge and not easy and that a pet needs a lot of care, love and attention for it to learn and grow.
A beautiful book we will read again and again.
This book is a beautifully illustrated story that is bright and eye-catching and draws the reader/audience in. My little one really enjoyed this story and wanted to read it again straight after I read it to her.
This book is great for teaching children about the importance of having a pet - that it can be a challenge and not easy and that a pet needs a lot of care, love and attention for it to learn and grow.
A beautiful book we will read again and again.
October 19, 2019
*thank you to Netgalley, Amanda Brandon and Quarto Publishing Group for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review*
3 stars.
I was disappointed with this one. The illustrations were the best part. I loved the colours and the details were a bit different to what I'm use to, but I really liked them. Overall I would give the illustrations a 4 star rating. Unfortunately the story didn't interest me, and I gave it a 2 star mark. Making my overall rating, 3 stars.
The book is nice enough. I guess it shows kids that having a pet isn't always fun and games but it just didn't appeal. Hopefully for others it does.
3 stars.
I was disappointed with this one. The illustrations were the best part. I loved the colours and the details were a bit different to what I'm use to, but I really liked them. Overall I would give the illustrations a 4 star rating. Unfortunately the story didn't interest me, and I gave it a 2 star mark. Making my overall rating, 3 stars.
The book is nice enough. I guess it shows kids that having a pet isn't always fun and games but it just didn't appeal. Hopefully for others it does.
October 26, 2019
This book is just a saccharine cute way to teaching kids how to take care of pets.
It shows that even when you try to train them, the right way, they don't always obey.
Tilley tries to train her unicorn, but it is either stupid, or just disobedient, and Tilly grows ore and more anxious.
\\]
Cute book on teaching responsibility, with a brightly colored illustrations.
Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.
It shows that even when you try to train them, the right way, they don't always obey.
Tilley tries to train her unicorn, but it is either stupid, or just disobedient, and Tilly grows ore and more anxious.
\\]Cute book on teaching responsibility, with a brightly colored illustrations.
Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.
October 24, 2019
*received from netgalley for honest review* so I wont lie this is a really cute book and at first looked really promising but ended up being a let down... the idea is so cute, the art is cute but the book and "training" was very short and the book ended quickly, Not really a bad book but I the 7 year old I usually read these to would consider this "too babyish" but would be good for like 4 and under.
October 18, 2019
Let me just say, I would LOVE to work at the Unicorn Rescue Sanctuary!
That's where Tilly helps out with the rescue unicorns, though she would truly love a unicorn of her very own. Enter...Splodge, a scruffy little unicorn whose a bit rough around the edges. He'll need a good bath and lots of training...starting with learning his name!
This is an awesome read-aloud book for preschoolers. Be prepared to read it repeatedly!
That's where Tilly helps out with the rescue unicorns, though she would truly love a unicorn of her very own. Enter...Splodge, a scruffy little unicorn whose a bit rough around the edges. He'll need a good bath and lots of training...starting with learning his name!
This is an awesome read-aloud book for preschoolers. Be prepared to read it repeatedly!
October 17, 2019
Unicorn Training is about a girl named Tilly that volunteers at the Unicorn Rescue Sanctuary. She really enjoys helping out, but Tilly really wants a unicorn of her own. One day, a scruffy little unicorn name Splodge arrives at the sanctuary. Despite his appearance and rough nature, Tilly feels that Splodge is the right unicorn for her and she convinces her father to take Splodge home. At home, Tilly is convinced that she can train Splodge to be the best unicorn ever, but she quickly realizes that training a unicorn is harder than she expected. Tilly decides to teach Splodge just one thing...his name. He begins catching on and soon Tilly's parents are teaching Splodge new things too. Tilly, her parents, and Splodge all eventually have that "fizzy fuzzy" feeling that comes with being loved.
I have a major unicorn lover in my house, so I was very excited to review this book. I love the idea of Tilly trying to train the unicorn in the same way that we've been working on training our puppy. I know my daughter, and many other unicorn lovers, will adore this book with the cute illustrations and concept of a unicorn as a pet. I appreciate the idea that Tilly chose a unicorn that wasn't "perfect" and loved him anyway. I also enjoyed that Splodge improved his behavior and became a better pupil as he got more used to the family. Training a pet definitely is not easy, it takes time and dedication and this way effectively communicated in this book.
I received a free copy of this title from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
#UnicornTraining #NetGalley
I have a major unicorn lover in my house, so I was very excited to review this book. I love the idea of Tilly trying to train the unicorn in the same way that we've been working on training our puppy. I know my daughter, and many other unicorn lovers, will adore this book with the cute illustrations and concept of a unicorn as a pet. I appreciate the idea that Tilly chose a unicorn that wasn't "perfect" and loved him anyway. I also enjoyed that Splodge improved his behavior and became a better pupil as he got more used to the family. Training a pet definitely is not easy, it takes time and dedication and this way effectively communicated in this book.
I received a free copy of this title from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
#UnicornTraining #NetGalley
October 18, 2019
What My Child Thought:
She loved this book from start to finish and wants a unicorn now. The illustrations had her completely engaged and they supported the story, helping her to understand the words. She felt frustrated for Tilly, the young girl in the story when she was frustrated at training the unicorn. It was nice to see the book gain her empathy for the character. The unicorn made her laugh with all its silly actions as well, bringing a well-rounded group of emotions through the book.
What I Thought:
I thought the illustrations were perfect for this book. I liked that the story featured a unicorn, because that's really popular right now, and really who doesn't love a unicorn. The main point of the story, though, is about working hard and learning how to train a pet. It would be a great book for any child getting their own pet soon. It helps them understand that it will be frustrating and it won't happen all at once. It will take time and adjustments for everyone to feel "fizzy and fuzzy inside".
To Read or Not To Read:
This is a perfect book for anyone. The unicorn is a boy and the main character is a girl, giving a nice gender balance. The main message is a great one and the book even has a nice guide at the end to spark conversation afterward.
Thank you to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group for providing this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
She loved this book from start to finish and wants a unicorn now. The illustrations had her completely engaged and they supported the story, helping her to understand the words. She felt frustrated for Tilly, the young girl in the story when she was frustrated at training the unicorn. It was nice to see the book gain her empathy for the character. The unicorn made her laugh with all its silly actions as well, bringing a well-rounded group of emotions through the book.
What I Thought:
I thought the illustrations were perfect for this book. I liked that the story featured a unicorn, because that's really popular right now, and really who doesn't love a unicorn. The main point of the story, though, is about working hard and learning how to train a pet. It would be a great book for any child getting their own pet soon. It helps them understand that it will be frustrating and it won't happen all at once. It will take time and adjustments for everyone to feel "fizzy and fuzzy inside".
To Read or Not To Read:
This is a perfect book for anyone. The unicorn is a boy and the main character is a girl, giving a nice gender balance. The main message is a great one and the book even has a nice guide at the end to spark conversation afterward.
Thank you to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group for providing this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
October 28, 2019
Tilly has found the little unicorn she wants to keep forever! But the little one isn't trained, and Tilly must learn to be patient in order help her little unicorn become a member of the family.
Unicorn Training is a lovely story about patience, making an effort, and living with a pet. It's a sweet story that children will love. Bonus feature: the little unicorn is actually adorable!
A recommended read for young children.
Unicorn Training is a lovely story about patience, making an effort, and living with a pet. It's a sweet story that children will love. Bonus feature: the little unicorn is actually adorable!
A recommended read for young children.
November 18, 2019
I DON'T KNOW WHO KEEPS LETTING ME REQUEST/READ UNICORN PICTURE BOOKS BUT I LOVE YOU! I am immediately adding Unicorn Training to my cart on whatever book site I find it on first. It would be the perfect book to give a child who has recently added a pet to the family or are considering getting one. But, also, it's perfect to read any time for any reason. 🦄📚💖
***I was provided with a digital review copy on Netgalley. All opinions are my own.***
***I was provided with a digital review copy on Netgalley. All opinions are my own.***
October 21, 2019
Splodge is a unicorn. He is dirty and a klutz. He is written off by others because of his appearance. Tilly helps out at the unicorn rescue sanctuary. Tilly decides she will adopt him and take care of him. It takes a while but with determination and patience she is able to help Splodge be the best unicorn he can.
Cute drawings. And a great story about patience and love. My son enjoyed this one.
I love stories about misfits. I will also point out that splodge toots glitter. So... that’s fantastic.
Cute drawings. And a great story about patience and love. My son enjoyed this one.
I love stories about misfits. I will also point out that splodge toots glitter. So... that’s fantastic.
October 28, 2019
This book was really sweet. The pictures are bright and cheerful and appealing to young children. My five-year old laughed at the funny bits and was serious and thoughtful at the serious parts. The book was simple, but not too simple. I think it’s a positive and fun way to introduce the concept of the work that is needed to bring a new pet into your home (with a magical twist).
October 20, 2019
When Tilly gets a new unicorn at her parents rescue she's super excited as Splodge is the unicorn she grows to love can she train him before he becomes too much for them to handle?
A sweet short story kids will love not just for the joyful colourful images helping depict the story but the joy of the love for a pet and how they can enrich our lives too. It shows how we can gain a fun for friend for life and have a lot of fun with them too!
Many thanks to the publishers for allowing me to review this book for them!
A sweet short story kids will love not just for the joyful colourful images helping depict the story but the joy of the love for a pet and how they can enrich our lives too. It shows how we can gain a fun for friend for life and have a lot of fun with them too!
Many thanks to the publishers for allowing me to review this book for them!
October 18, 2019
A young girl try to train a unicorn. Cute book that can be use as an allegory to explore the training of a dog or something with children. Good but nothing outstanding!
October 18, 2019
Great but so short! My 5 yr old who loves all things unicorn and wants one of her own thought this book was written for her, she loved it! The artwork is nice, perfect for a kids book, bright and colorful and goes with the text well. The premise is to keep working hard for what you want - I felt that the text mentioned this but fell short. It maybe needed one more example of how Splodge was learning but hadnt mastered it yet. The ending seemed a bit abrupt for such a great work up in previous pages. I do recommend it and we will be buying this as the unicorn lover says it's a must have.
I was given an ebook advanced copy in exchange for my review
I was given an ebook advanced copy in exchange for my review
October 26, 2019
Thank you NetGalley and publishers for an ARC.
In the ever popular love of Unicorns, one girl takes on the reigns of training them. Although they are beautiful creates, she will learn that they are work as well.
A wonderful story for lovers of unicorns that teaches responsibility and problem solving.
In the ever popular love of Unicorns, one girl takes on the reigns of training them. Although they are beautiful creates, she will learn that they are work as well.
A wonderful story for lovers of unicorns that teaches responsibility and problem solving.
October 25, 2019
Unicorns are all the rage right now and they make the perfect vehicle for learning about perseverance for young children. Unicorn in Training was a wonderful story about a naughty, dirty little unicorn that wasn't very good at learning or being trained. But thanks to the help of one special girl, the unicorn learns how to work hard and essentially learns how to learn. Cute book. My kids will love it.
October 28, 2019
An adorable picture book perfect for storytime. The drawings were lovely and I particularly loved the discussion points at the end of the book. An excellent choice for families adopting pets too.
May 21, 2024
Unicorns are big this year, maybe they're big every year and it's just that this year I have a horse-mad-turned-unicorn-and-pegasus-mad daughter. Whatever the reason for the fascination with unicorns my daughter thought this book was the "Best story ever!" - so if you have a unicorn-obsessed child aged five then you should pop this book on your Christmas shopping list now!
This story is really about the ups and downs of owning a pet, especially when it first arrives. Having recently adopted two kittens into our horse I could actually relate to a lot of this despite having owned animals before!
While the book is light-hearted it really is a great book to look at perseverance. Sometimes you need to practice something over and over again in order to get it right. This is such an important lesson that children need to learn and I think makes this an ideal choice of book for the start of the year classroom activities. This is reinforced by Tilly who is about to give up, trying something new and finding it got her closer to her goal - essential problem-solving skills.
A wonderful book for home or the classroom.
This story is really about the ups and downs of owning a pet, especially when it first arrives. Having recently adopted two kittens into our horse I could actually relate to a lot of this despite having owned animals before!
While the book is light-hearted it really is a great book to look at perseverance. Sometimes you need to practice something over and over again in order to get it right. This is such an important lesson that children need to learn and I think makes this an ideal choice of book for the start of the year classroom activities. This is reinforced by Tilly who is about to give up, trying something new and finding it got her closer to her goal - essential problem-solving skills.
A wonderful book for home or the classroom.
November 7, 2019
This is the story of a little girl who really wants to train a Unicorn which apparently is kind of like training a horse and a dog at the same time. I particularly liked the illustrations - they were bright and fun.
Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC.
Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC.
November 1, 2019
My 3 year old. granddaughter absolutely adored this book. The mischievous unicorn and bright colorful illustrations are sure to keep any little one entertained!
December 6, 2019
Tilly works at a Unicorn Rescue Centre, but she wants a unicorn of her own. She gets her wish when the spunky Splodge comes to the center, and Tilly vows to make him the “best unicorn ever.”
What follows is a classic girl-and-her-horse tale, with the extra color and pizzazz of unicorn rainbows. Tilly learns patience and focused goal-setting. It’s an encouraging message for a child’s overwhelming world.
The biggest draw of the book are its vivacious, energetic illustrations. Tilly and Splodge are wonderfully expressive and visually pleasing. The depiction of mud and other environmental details lend the illustrations a tactile feel. My favorite page is the cinematic frame of Tilly’s parents scolding her and Splodge — it’s a Hitchcock mise en scene in micro.
From a storytelling perspective, the book is forced to rush due to the constraints of being a short picture book. I love these types of stories, but I think they work better as early readers and early chapter books like Maggie and Bramble or Cowgirl Kate and Cocoa (though neither of those feature a unicorn!).
If your little one loves horses, pets, or especially unicorns, this one will probably be a hit. For others, I’d still say it’s worth a read, especially for the illustrations.
Read more of my reviews at ReadersByNight.com
What follows is a classic girl-and-her-horse tale, with the extra color and pizzazz of unicorn rainbows. Tilly learns patience and focused goal-setting. It’s an encouraging message for a child’s overwhelming world.
The biggest draw of the book are its vivacious, energetic illustrations. Tilly and Splodge are wonderfully expressive and visually pleasing. The depiction of mud and other environmental details lend the illustrations a tactile feel. My favorite page is the cinematic frame of Tilly’s parents scolding her and Splodge — it’s a Hitchcock mise en scene in micro.
From a storytelling perspective, the book is forced to rush due to the constraints of being a short picture book. I love these types of stories, but I think they work better as early readers and early chapter books like Maggie and Bramble or Cowgirl Kate and Cocoa (though neither of those feature a unicorn!).
If your little one loves horses, pets, or especially unicorns, this one will probably be a hit. For others, I’d still say it’s worth a read, especially for the illustrations.
Read more of my reviews at ReadersByNight.com
April 2, 2023
Eye catching book. Popular in my preschool - as anything with unicorns and rainbows on the cover tends to be.
Decent little story with perfectly matching illustrations.
The only line that irks me is “feel fizzy and fuzzy inside”… probably because it’s such a sickly sweet way of describing warmth and fuzzy love…. Which suits the sweetness of the book - so more of a me problem!
As a preschool teacher I like books to read-out loud that the children can join in with the repeating line. Fizzy and fuzzy doesn’t quite catch on.
I guess I would have liked a more grittier turn of phrase to match the girl’s personality of perseverance. But maybe unicorns just do that to you. Make you a bit fragile and soft and fizzy and fuzzy.
Jokes… the book is fine. Sweet and as intended captures the audience of child readers who like that sort of thing. Even catches the eye of some who aren’t so into unicorns and rainbows with the mud and grumpy parents, sneaking around and vase breaking antics.
Decent little story with perfectly matching illustrations.
The only line that irks me is “feel fizzy and fuzzy inside”… probably because it’s such a sickly sweet way of describing warmth and fuzzy love…. Which suits the sweetness of the book - so more of a me problem!
As a preschool teacher I like books to read-out loud that the children can join in with the repeating line. Fizzy and fuzzy doesn’t quite catch on.
I guess I would have liked a more grittier turn of phrase to match the girl’s personality of perseverance. But maybe unicorns just do that to you. Make you a bit fragile and soft and fizzy and fuzzy.
Jokes… the book is fine. Sweet and as intended captures the audience of child readers who like that sort of thing. Even catches the eye of some who aren’t so into unicorns and rainbows with the mud and grumpy parents, sneaking around and vase breaking antics.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 4, 2019
Tilly takes in Splodge a rescue unicorn and is sure training him will be a piece of cake. But unicorn training proves much harder than Tilly thought. Will Splodge ever be a good unicorn?
The author did some really obvious parallels between training a unicorn and training a dog so this would be a great book to somewhat sneakily break it to a little one that having a pet is a lot more work than perhaps they think. Unicorn lovers will eat up the idea of having a little one as a family pet. The bright colors and fun illustration style will grab little readers’ attention. And really, I don’t think you can go wrong with a unicorn. I kind of wanted them to show a few more steps in Splodge’s training, but it was still good. Hand this to unicorn lovers and kids who think they are ready for a pet.
I received an ARC of this title from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
The author did some really obvious parallels between training a unicorn and training a dog so this would be a great book to somewhat sneakily break it to a little one that having a pet is a lot more work than perhaps they think. Unicorn lovers will eat up the idea of having a little one as a family pet. The bright colors and fun illustration style will grab little readers’ attention. And really, I don’t think you can go wrong with a unicorn. I kind of wanted them to show a few more steps in Splodge’s training, but it was still good. Hand this to unicorn lovers and kids who think they are ready for a pet.
I received an ARC of this title from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
November 25, 2019
The rating is more like a 2.5 - I wouldn't purchase this for my house or any of my nieces as it's too short to really get any use out of it BUT if we were in the library and any of them saw it on the shelf, I wouldn't stop them from checking it out. I'd read it to them as many times as they'd like to hear about the little unicorn.
But as far as lessons to be taught, it didn't really do much in the way of showcasing how difficult it is to have a pet. It never even said that she went and asked her parents for help after she 'gave up' with the manual - just suddenly they were on board with training.
It was short. It was cute but that's where the buck stops. Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with the ARC.
But as far as lessons to be taught, it didn't really do much in the way of showcasing how difficult it is to have a pet. It never even said that she went and asked her parents for help after she 'gave up' with the manual - just suddenly they were on board with training.
It was short. It was cute but that's where the buck stops. Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with the ARC.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews