Uni Enhjørning

Uni the Unicorn #1

by Amy Krouse Rosenthal

Uni enhjørning er akkurat som alle andre enhjørninger, bortsett fra én ting, hun tror at det finnes små jenter. Alle sier til henne at de ikke finnes, men samme hva de voksne enhjørningene sier endrer ikke Uni mening. Et eller annet sted må det da finnes en smart, sterk, fantastisk og magisk liten jente som har lyst til å bli bestevenn med henne. Og det viser seg at et sted ikke så langt unna finnes det en helt ekte liten jente som tror at det er en enhjørning som venter på henne.

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

39 pages, Hardcover

First published August 26, 2014

About the author

SHORT BIO:

Amy Krouse Rosenthal was.
She divided her time.


NOT SO SHORT BIO:

Amy Krouse Rosenthal was a person who liked to make things.
Some things she liked to make include:

Children's books. (Little Pea, Spoon, DuckRabbit)
Grown-up books. (Textbook Amy Krouse Rosenthal, Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life)
Short films. (The Beckoning of Lovely, The Money Tree)
Guided journals. (The Belly Book)
Something out of nothing. (see above)

A longtime contributor to WBEZ and to the TED conference,
Amy lived with her family in Chicago and online at whoisamy.com.

Reviews

[Tim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, it's a new week and surprise, surprise, my daughter has a new favorite book (some of you may have noticed that this changes quite frequently). This time it's actually one I find quite charming, and it a short enough read that I don't get tired of the "again, agains" quite as fast.

It also helps that the idea of this book is extremely amusing.

Uni is a unicorn. Not just any unicorn mind you, but one with the most beautiful and sparkly one in existence... but sadly all is not well for Uni. She's often mocked for her ridiculous belief that little girls... are real! It is upon this revelation that my daughter bursts into fits of laughter until near tears every single read.

The idea is cute and comforting to a child who may believe in mythical creatures, as it presents that those creatures believe in you as well. Despite the other unicorns poking fun at her for this belief, and her parents giving knowing looks, Uni stays steadfast, drawing pictures of girls, reading stories about them and constantly daydreaming of the fun she'll have if ever she meets one.

Even if unicorns aren't their thing, what kid can't in some way relate to this feeling?



The artwork is also quite nice here, and the pictures capture both a sense of humor on the situation and also give off a charming design. Well worth a look. 4/5 stars.

[Rachel L · Rating 5 out of 5]

I FOUND ANOTHER CUTE PICTURE BOOK!!!



Uni the Unicorn is a story of a young, dazzling unicorn who dreams of a far off land where little girls exist. It can be overly cute at times, but I think this is a perfect book for all of you who have a little girl in your lives. I love the cute story, and the artwork/illustrations are what make the book even better!

[Lindsay L · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 spectacular stars for this fantastic children’s book!

The perfect story for any little unicorn lovers in your life! 🦄

[Jessica✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute cute cute and more cute!
The artwork is cute, the story is cute. I just wish it was a little longer.

[Julia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Story was cute but LOVED the illustrations. Like if Lisa Frank grew up to be a hipster who drew colorful magical things with a vaguely vintage aesthetic.

[Michelle (FabBookReviews) · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am a fan of Rosenthal's other picture books, but sadly, this was a let down for me. Lovely, vintage-y illustrations, but a story that seems rather weak and ends very abruptly. It really feels as though we are missing another third of the story, i.e. do the girl and Uni ever meet? What's the uptake of the story?

[Rachael (RedRchlReads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Uni the Unicorn was such a sweet, fun story about believing things are real, even if everyone tells you otherwise. The illustrations are gorgeous, and I loved the setup of this story. The ending felt a bit abrupt though, and I wish we could have had a longer story. My daughter loves the pretty colors and reaches for it often!

[Placeholder for Memento novella; not on GR]

[Baby Bookworm · Rating 2 out of 5]

This review was originally written for The Baby Bookworm. Visit us for new picture books reviews daily!

Hello, friends! Today, we read Uni The Unicorn, written by Amy Krouse Rosenthal and illustrated by Brigette Barrager, the story of a unicorn, a girl, and belief.

Uni the unicorn is like all the other unicorns: flowing mane, twinkling purple eyes, magical powers. But there is one thing that makes Uni different: she believes in little girls. All the other unicorns mock her, but Uni just knows that there is a special little girl out there. A little girl who, like her, looks to the night sky and dreams of a special friend.

Oh, boy. This is a pretty popular book, so I’m going to get some people who disagree, but we didn’t love it. There is some gorgeously colorful art, flipping the trope and having a unicorn believe in people was cool, and the length is good, but for positives, that was it for us.

In the meantime, the book lacks a satisfying conclusion. It bills itself as “A Story About Believing,” so I can understand why the author chose to never have Uni and her friend meet, but it’s a choice that ends the story rather abruptly. Furthermore, the book is extremely gendered. Uni believes in little girls, and only little girls. Apparently, little boys and unicorns are not meant to have special friendships. And, uncomfortably, Uni only seems to believe in little white girls. Her dream friend is blonde and blue-eyed, and all the drawings of little girls that Uni makes or looks at in books are light-skinned. In fact, the only time children of color make an appearance is as villains, taunting the little girl for believing in unicorns. So as far as gender and race representation, this one misses the mark, to say the least.

We had heard good things about this book and were looking forward to it, but it honestly just left me underwhelmed and slightly troubled. Even JJ didn’t seem very interested beyond our initial read-through. If you have a daughter who loves unicorns (and, again, only a daughter), this could be a fun read, but otherwise, not one we would recommend.

Be sure to check out The Baby Bookworm for more reviews!

[Abigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

In many ways, Uni was a unicorn like any other. She had an (extra!) magnificent mane, golden hooves, sparkling purple eyes, and a swirly horn with the power to heal and mend. She also had the power to make wishes come true. In other ways, however, Uni was a little unique - she believed that little girls were REAL. Although her friends would laugh at her odd idea, and her parents were indulgently amused, Uni knew that there was a little girl out there for her. What she didn't know was that not far away there was a little girl who believed that unicorns were real, despite the amusement of her own friends and family...

A sweet little fairy-tale, one which offers a pean to the power of belief, and the potential for friendship, Uni the Unicorn takes a traditional story-line - a young girl who believes with all her heart (and despite all contrary opinions and ridicule) in unicorns (or fairies, dragons, etc.) - and turns it on its head. Although there is a little girl at the close of the story, the focus here is on Uni, and her belief in purportedly mythical humans. I was reminded of Timothy Knapman and Gwen Millward's charming Guess What I Found in Dragon Wood , in which a dragon discovers a young boy (hitherto believed to be a creature of myth), and brings him home. Brigette Barrager's vividly colorful artwork, with its dark blues, deep oranges, and many shades of purple, captures the feeling of whimsical enchantment in the story. Recommended to young children who believe in mythical creatures (unicorn of otherwise) and dream of encountering them.

[La Coccinelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

There's not much of a plot to this little story (the synopsis pretty much covers it), but it's still a fun book. I thought the unicorn who believes in little girls was actually pretty amusing, and the charming pictures that illustrate the story are really what make it work. Barrager apparently spent some time working with Disney and Pixar, and the illustrations in this book are definitely reminiscent of some of the retro-styled animation we've seen from them.

I can see this being popular with little girls, even if they just want to enjoy the book over and over by looking at the adorable illustrations. It's one of the cuter kids' books I've seen in a while.

Quotable moment:

But Uni was certain, absolutely certain, that little girls were real, no matter what everyone else said.

Uni knew that somewhere far away (but not that far away), there was a little girl waiting... a strong smart wonderful magical little girl.

And she would be the best friend a unicorn could ever ask for.

http://theladybugreads.blogspot.ca/20...

[Moonkiszt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Featured in a grandma reads session.

Our unicorn expert believes the promise of this book 100%. She believes with the same power that Fievel Mousekewitz did in American Tail. . . .

Somewhere out there
Beneath the pale moonlight
Someone's thinking of me
And loving me tonight
Somewhere out there
Someone's saying a prayer
That we'll find one another
In that big somewhere out there
(lyrics from Somewhere Out There / American Tail movie 1999)

She leaned in as Uni the Unicorn was read, edging all those brotherly shoulders away from the screen. The artwork was lush and further convinced us of the author's promise: There's one true unicorn for all of us. You just have to believe. And we do.

A vote was taken and 5 is where we landed, ignoring some of the brotherly teenage hijinks. They just don't get it.

[Ricki · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would have adored this book as a child. Uni the Unicorn ignores her unicorn friends and refuses to believe that little girls are real. Not too far away, a girl believes that unicorns are real, as well. This would be a great book to read to kids who have difficulty believing in the fantastic. I found the illustrations to be magical and the characterization to be lovely. I wish it was a bit more gender neutral, but I will absolutely read this to my son when he is a bit older. Then again, my son also rocks a pink sippy cup, so I don't tend to follow gender norms. :)

[Lea · Rating 5 out of 5]

My niece and I love unicorns. We read this together. Sometimes books are even better because of who and/or where you read them. This is a sweet little book and I look forward to checking out the sequel.

[Lilian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Elin de Eenhoorn is anders; zij gelooft dat kleine meisjes echt bestaan.

Wat een schitterde illustraties en een leuk, schattig verhaal. Heerlijk om voor te lezen en samen illustraties te bewonderen.

(gekregen van Uitgeverij Moon)

[Huda Fel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Uni the unicorn believed in little girls!
What a cute book.

[Lina · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is so beautifully illustrated and it is fun to think about unicorns being real and little girls the fairy tale, but for some reason it just doesn’t seem to resonate with me despite my daughter loving it. Maybe it’s off putting that supposedly only little girls believe in unicorns? My 2 year old boy idolizes everything his sister does and that means he thinks a lot of “girly” things are pretty awesome. I wish that more subjects were more gender neutral.

[Michele Knott · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sweet story, I love the story tagline - "a story about believing". But I thought the story just ended. I wanted it to go further. I think if you hold on to the idea that the story is about believing, and just that, I can see why it ended that way. I wanted more :) Especially the beautiful artwork! Young girls are going to eat this book up and have it memorized!

[Sheila · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely children's book about a unicorn, and a young girl, and about the power of believing. MOst of the story centers on the unicorn. I see from reviews that some didn't like the ending of the book, but I think the message of the book, the message on the power of believing, is what makes the ending work. Do you believe?

[Cheryl · Rating 1 out of 5]

Oh gag. It's worse than an instant classic, worse than a Barbie or My Little Pony novelization. So sticky sweet. And personally I find the illustrations almost creepy. And clearly the beginning of a series, as this is *just* meet the characters; nothing actually happens yet.

[Kris · Rating 4 out of 5]

The illustrations are adorable, and while this is certainly not Amy Krouse Rosenthal’s best, it is going to appeal to anyone who loves unicorns, which is probably a large percentage of her audience. 😂

[Rosie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read an ARC and the illustrations are gorgeous. I would love to order prints of some of the pages :) So. Pretty.

[Jamie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very cute. I love the reverse thoughts of the unicorn believing in little girls. Colorful too. Loved the purple mane. A nice change from the standard white.

[Ally McCulloch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good unicorn fun for everyone.

[Olivia · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's a good book

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Adorable story. Getting next in series for babe tomorrow! So so cute

[Leila · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was awesome because it had a Unicorn in it

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amy Krouse Rosenthal writes engaging books. This is one of them.

Now I'm beginning to wonder if I'M the one who is make-believe and unicorns are actually real...

[Ophelia · Rating 5 out of 5]

i hope there’s a unicorn out there who believes in me

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful illustrations! Great story about imagination and believing. I see it’s a series so I’ll have to invest in the next story for my son. Would definitely recommend!

[Ericka Clou · Rating 5 out of 5]

They read this at the Aldrich story time for preschoolers and it was so cute it stayed in my brain for years.