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For Unicorn Lovers Only: History, Mythology, Facts, and More
Readers of all ages can learn all about the magnificent unicorns of the past and the charismatic creatures of today with this beautifully illustrated treasure trove of unicorn lore and history from Penelope Gwynne and Katie O'Neill.
Unicorns have changed a lot through the ages, but some things have stayed the same: They’re still magical and mysterious, elusive and entertaining. And they’re still the most fascinating mythical beasts in the world.
Vibrantly illustrated by Eisner Award winner Katie O'Neill, For Unicorn Lovers Only tells fans everything they need to know about unicorns of yesterday and today—when and where the legends came from, how unicorns have influenced pop culture, and much more.
Find new ways to express your unicornimania through crafts, clothes, and activities, and experience unicorn magic through retellings of legends and history with this unique combination of fact and fiction.
Unicorns have changed a lot through the ages, but some things have stayed the same: They’re still magical and mysterious, elusive and entertaining. And they’re still the most fascinating mythical beasts in the world.
Vibrantly illustrated by Eisner Award winner Katie O'Neill, For Unicorn Lovers Only tells fans everything they need to know about unicorns of yesterday and today—when and where the legends came from, how unicorns have influenced pop culture, and much more.
Find new ways to express your unicornimania through crafts, clothes, and activities, and experience unicorn magic through retellings of legends and history with this unique combination of fact and fiction.
176 pages, Hardcover
First published October 6, 2020
5 people are currently reading
479 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
August 31, 2025
this was a super cute breakdown about the history and mythology of unicorns. it covers many cultures and legends, as well as extending into present day pop culture and media.
i went into this thinking it was going to be a graphic novel and it's definitely more just a book with illustrations, but it was very cute. i always love k. o'neill's artwork!
there's also some very silly, whimsical how-to's for young readers to have unicorn-inspired activities.
i went into this thinking it was going to be a graphic novel and it's definitely more just a book with illustrations, but it was very cute. i always love k. o'neill's artwork!
there's also some very silly, whimsical how-to's for young readers to have unicorn-inspired activities.
December 31, 2020
3.5/5
this was really cute! i loved kay o'neill's illustrations. it includes a history of unicorns, which even i at 31 years old found to be very informative, as well as tips on how to track and befriend unicorns and different crafts to try. this book would be perfect for any young unicorn lover.
this was really cute! i loved kay o'neill's illustrations. it includes a history of unicorns, which even i at 31 years old found to be very informative, as well as tips on how to track and befriend unicorns and different crafts to try. this book would be perfect for any young unicorn lover.
December 23, 2020
So the beginning of the book is slow because it starts off with history. Even though that information is interesting, it's basically a whole chapter on the history of unicorns which can be a bit boring. Once you get past that chapter though, it gets really interesting!
The pop culture was really interesting and I added a lot of the books and movies onto my list to read/watch. There's even a list of unicorn video games! It's a great book. I enjoyed the stories about the unicorns the most and I loved the illustrations throughout the book. They're awesome. There are crafts at the end too! There's one called Marble It where it tells you how to make marble art. There's also a list of resources for more unicorn things and an index. It's worth a read if you love unicorns or want to learn more about them! Just get past the history part if history isn't really your thing, and you'll fly through the book! Like a winged unicorn :D
The pop culture was really interesting and I added a lot of the books and movies onto my list to read/watch. There's even a list of unicorn video games! It's a great book. I enjoyed the stories about the unicorns the most and I loved the illustrations throughout the book. They're awesome. There are crafts at the end too! There's one called Marble It where it tells you how to make marble art. There's also a list of resources for more unicorn things and an index. It's worth a read if you love unicorns or want to learn more about them! Just get past the history part if history isn't really your thing, and you'll fly through the book! Like a winged unicorn :D
September 4, 2020
[This review is based on an ARC.] I was drawn to this book because it features Katie O'Neill's artwork, and I adore everything she does. The book itself is a bit sparse on the drawings, though perhaps I had far too high expectations on that front, and I do wish the color palette was broader. The prose content of the book runs the gamut from a fairly detailed historical account of unicorn myths and "discoveries,' a list of pop culture references and examples of unicorns (shoutout to Gwynne for reminding me of my long-forgotten favorite book when I was 8, Bruce Coville's 'Into the Land of the Unicorns!), retellings of some myths themselves, and a very cute back-half 'how-to' guide: how to find a unicorn, how to keep and groom/feed/play with your unicorn, and how to do arts, crafts, and baking projects related to unicorns. I would've adored this book as a child. (One small note on the how-to section on hair braiding: one of the options is box-braids, and while O'Neill's beautiful illustration features a Black girl with box braids along with other girls 'modeling' other braid types, the description and directions for the style never go into its cultural relevance. This seems mildly problematic...)
April 15, 2021
Nothing new, really. I've read other books with much of the same content (because of course I have). Not only that, those other books had color illustrations, text, and, in one case, a different color pages to separate the various sections.
But this book was still awesome, mainly due to Kay O'Neill's lovely illustrations (love them, btw).
Overall, though... a fun book for any Unicorn fan.
But this book was still awesome, mainly due to Kay O'Neill's lovely illustrations (love them, btw).
Overall, though... a fun book for any Unicorn fan.
July 1, 2023
TW: one fable mentions of a mother's death after childbooth
Things I ADORED:
The art. Kay O'Neill never fails to give your heart warm fuzzies. Epic/adorable character and creature designs!
The book design: this is a gorgeous little book with a well designed hardback cover and endpapers.
The colour choice: Green is the choice of colour for the two-tone illustrations and can I say YES!! 'cause we already have a plethora of pink n' purple unicorn books!!
The tone: this wasn't a text that talked down to it's readers. It presented facts about historical and modern roots of unicorn mythos in society and from differing parts of the world. While mostly eurocentric, it did go out of its way to point out unicorns are not strictly a european mythical creature. It also had a freakin' bibliography!
Things that could have been improved:
More fables from differing legends: One or two were told (and sooooo well) but we honestly needed more!
The unicorn tracking section: honestly dragged quite a bit. Half the time you knew the unicorn tracking tips were really just tips on how to observe nature in local forests, with tipes to stay warm, bring shelter, food etc, but never went all the way when covering SAFTEY. I'm all for encouraging folks to get out into the wild, but you can't encourage that without making sure safety measures are mentioned. Lists should have involved tips like "make sure it's a guardian approved area you are exploring" or "make sure you have a first aid kit".
The title: a bit long and dosnt fit the 'ye olde tome' the cover designer was going for
Lack of masc rep: the diversity and representation was so awesome, but lacked masculine characters in the art. Plenty of femme and a few androgynous folks (which is awesome! (I'm non binary)) but the stigma of society excluding boys from unicorns still is expressed in this text.
Things I ADORED:
The art. Kay O'Neill never fails to give your heart warm fuzzies. Epic/adorable character and creature designs!
The book design: this is a gorgeous little book with a well designed hardback cover and endpapers.
The colour choice: Green is the choice of colour for the two-tone illustrations and can I say YES!! 'cause we already have a plethora of pink n' purple unicorn books!!
The tone: this wasn't a text that talked down to it's readers. It presented facts about historical and modern roots of unicorn mythos in society and from differing parts of the world. While mostly eurocentric, it did go out of its way to point out unicorns are not strictly a european mythical creature. It also had a freakin' bibliography!
Things that could have been improved:
More fables from differing legends: One or two were told (and sooooo well) but we honestly needed more!
The unicorn tracking section: honestly dragged quite a bit. Half the time you knew the unicorn tracking tips were really just tips on how to observe nature in local forests, with tipes to stay warm, bring shelter, food etc, but never went all the way when covering SAFTEY. I'm all for encouraging folks to get out into the wild, but you can't encourage that without making sure safety measures are mentioned. Lists should have involved tips like "make sure it's a guardian approved area you are exploring" or "make sure you have a first aid kit".
The title: a bit long and dosnt fit the 'ye olde tome' the cover designer was going for
Lack of masc rep: the diversity and representation was so awesome, but lacked masculine characters in the art. Plenty of femme and a few androgynous folks (which is awesome! (I'm non binary)) but the stigma of society excluding boys from unicorns still is expressed in this text.
January 2, 2024
I read this book solely because I love the illustrator, Kate O'Neill. I think young kids obsessed with unicorns will likely gobble this up, but it was not for me. The beginning was surprisingly academic, but I enjoyed reading about the origins of unicorns and how their forms have changed among different cultures throughout history. I REALLY enjoyed the retellings of some of the unicorn lore - these sections were more along the lines of what I was expecting/hoping to read in the book. The pop-culture section was okay. Paired with the bibliography in the back, it was nice to have more materials to reference if the reader wants to dive more into "unicornmania."
The majority of the book, however, focused on the tracking, trapping, and keeping of unicorns as pets, which was all uniquely derived from the author's imagination with some light inspiration from lore. I found this section to be incredibly boring and an absolute slog to get through as the author starts off by saying not to do it, and then 100% contradicts herself by giving step-by-meticulous step instructions. All of the unicorn care basically references equine care (with the exception of feeding the unicorn sweets).
There's a brief section at the very end on how the reader can better emulate unicorns by dressing in sparkles, rainbows, bling, and doing their heir in braids. There's also a recipe or two that are colorful and cute. I feel like there was potential for more in this section, considering the mountain of arts, crafts, activities, foods, etc. that are unicorn themed, so it's a real shame this section ended up so anemic.
It was clear the author was tapping into their inner child because the majority of the book read like a child's imagination run wild, which is why I feel like kids obsessed with unicorns would enjoy it. I, however, did not.
The majority of the book, however, focused on the tracking, trapping, and keeping of unicorns as pets, which was all uniquely derived from the author's imagination with some light inspiration from lore. I found this section to be incredibly boring and an absolute slog to get through as the author starts off by saying not to do it, and then 100% contradicts herself by giving step-by-meticulous step instructions. All of the unicorn care basically references equine care (with the exception of feeding the unicorn sweets).
There's a brief section at the very end on how the reader can better emulate unicorns by dressing in sparkles, rainbows, bling, and doing their heir in braids. There's also a recipe or two that are colorful and cute. I feel like there was potential for more in this section, considering the mountain of arts, crafts, activities, foods, etc. that are unicorn themed, so it's a real shame this section ended up so anemic.
It was clear the author was tapping into their inner child because the majority of the book read like a child's imagination run wild, which is why I feel like kids obsessed with unicorns would enjoy it. I, however, did not.
September 12, 2020
Arc provided by NetGalley
I found this to be a really cute and informative book. It was an interesting mix of nonfiction and fiction. We started out with some history of the unicorn and gradually migrated into a fictitious scenario of acquiring one and keeping it around like a pet. I personally liked the beginning section the most. I wasn't really into the fiction part but that may just be because of my analytical brain not wanting to get overly excited about getting a pet I could never have. The crafts included in the end were also nice and seemed well thought out. I loved the artwork in here too, it was adorable. Overall this was a great book for younger readers who love unicorns and want to be more informed on their true and fictitious natures and histories. I would warn though, if you are super well informed on unicorns, their history, and aren't into things like braiding your hair this book may just leave you disappointed as it does not bring up too much out their information and has several hair configurations. But again younger readers will surely think that this is just the bee's knees.
I found this to be a really cute and informative book. It was an interesting mix of nonfiction and fiction. We started out with some history of the unicorn and gradually migrated into a fictitious scenario of acquiring one and keeping it around like a pet. I personally liked the beginning section the most. I wasn't really into the fiction part but that may just be because of my analytical brain not wanting to get overly excited about getting a pet I could never have. The crafts included in the end were also nice and seemed well thought out. I loved the artwork in here too, it was adorable. Overall this was a great book for younger readers who love unicorns and want to be more informed on their true and fictitious natures and histories. I would warn though, if you are super well informed on unicorns, their history, and aren't into things like braiding your hair this book may just leave you disappointed as it does not bring up too much out their information and has several hair configurations. But again younger readers will surely think that this is just the bee's knees.
March 7, 2024
As the cover suggests, this is a book for unicorn lovers, including science, history, and art. It not only looks into the historical records and some of our oldest legends of unicorns; it also combines heaps of unicorn lore to help readers weed through the supposed facts and find the most dependable information about some of the world's most magical creatures. It also includes snacks.
Overall, this is exactly what I expected, and it's fun to read. I admit to being a little bored in some sections, and I wouldn't be surprised if some young readers skip various areas. But I think there's something here for every unicorn lover, and if it's treated as a resource, not as a novel, it's a lovely guide. It's definitely more in-depth than the Unicorn Lover's Handbook, although both books will always have a place on my shelf. Note: this is not a graphic novel; it has an illustration on every page, but that's not the same thing.
Overall, this is exactly what I expected, and it's fun to read. I admit to being a little bored in some sections, and I wouldn't be surprised if some young readers skip various areas. But I think there's something here for every unicorn lover, and if it's treated as a resource, not as a novel, it's a lovely guide. It's definitely more in-depth than the Unicorn Lover's Handbook, although both books will always have a place on my shelf. Note: this is not a graphic novel; it has an illustration on every page, but that's not the same thing.
June 28, 2024
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A fascinating read following the history, legends, and pop culture surrounding unicorns. With gorgeous illustrations from O'Neill, this is a wonderful read.
The book is broken down into sections that cover history, pop culture, how stories and representations have evolved over time, legends, related creatures and beings, tips on becoming friends with a unicorn, and crafts and recipes for adding some sparkle to your life. I really enjoyed the blend of fact and fiction, dipping into history, (crypto)zoology, literature, media, and mythology.
Also includes an index for quick reference and a bibliography with additional resources and media mentioned in the book.
Well-written, beautifully presented, and a fun read overall. Perfect for unicorn lovers of all ages.
A fascinating read following the history, legends, and pop culture surrounding unicorns. With gorgeous illustrations from O'Neill, this is a wonderful read.
The book is broken down into sections that cover history, pop culture, how stories and representations have evolved over time, legends, related creatures and beings, tips on becoming friends with a unicorn, and crafts and recipes for adding some sparkle to your life. I really enjoyed the blend of fact and fiction, dipping into history, (crypto)zoology, literature, media, and mythology.
Also includes an index for quick reference and a bibliography with additional resources and media mentioned in the book.
Well-written, beautifully presented, and a fun read overall. Perfect for unicorn lovers of all ages.
February 13, 2021
It’s meant to be a kid’s book, but there is a LOT of text. The info seems okay for that age range, though there are some hard names. There is a whole section on how to “catch” them that seems very misleading, like they are actually real. Their are disclaimers for it, but...I honestly wouldn’t want to read that section with a child because of the confusion it would cause. There are braid techniques and crafts and things towards the back, which could be fun with kids. I do like unicorns, but I mainly picked this up for the illustrator, as I love her work! The art did not disappoint. However, I am glad I got it from my library and did not purchase it myself. I don’t think I would read it again, except for some book and movie references they provided that I might try later.
June 1, 2021
First of all, all the props to the packaging & illustrator team - primarily Kay O’Neill but there might have been one or more others involved with the detailing. Regardless, the cover, the end pages, the illustrations throughout... I am absolutely 100% in love.
As for the written content (by Penelope Gwynne), although aimed at younger readers, I got a lot out of this. Though largely euro-centric, there was a good deal of exploration of the wider world’s thoughts on unicorns (and uni-cousins).
I learned a surprising amount from this work, and the illustrations were particularly appreciated when Penelope was detailing early iterations of the unicorn.
I also appreciate that a bibliography was included.
Overall, an affordable, light, beautifully packaged read for any unicorn lover.
As for the written content (by Penelope Gwynne), although aimed at younger readers, I got a lot out of this. Though largely euro-centric, there was a good deal of exploration of the wider world’s thoughts on unicorns (and uni-cousins).
I learned a surprising amount from this work, and the illustrations were particularly appreciated when Penelope was detailing early iterations of the unicorn.
I also appreciate that a bibliography was included.
Overall, an affordable, light, beautifully packaged read for any unicorn lover.
April 21, 2024
An interesting chapter book aimed at upper elementary and middle school students (mostly female). The author covers the history of unicorns, unicorns in pop culture, unicorn legends, other mythological creatures, tracking and catching unicorns, and suggestions for braids, crafts, and edible muffins. The author includes a bibliography of nonfiction and fiction books, websites, and films. Includes an index. Katie O'Neill has decorated the pages with illustrations in greens and black. For the student who wants to learn more about unicorns.
March 27, 2021
🦄Unicorns ✔ Illustrated by Katie O'Neill ✔
This was a fun collection of stories/legends, pop culture and the progression of the unicorn mythology throughout time. It also included a small section on other creatures of lore; fairies, dragons, mermaids, hippocampi...
Overall, a cute intro to mythological creatures for children.
Now I'm off to watch The Last Unicorn again!
This was a fun collection of stories/legends, pop culture and the progression of the unicorn mythology throughout time. It also included a small section on other creatures of lore; fairies, dragons, mermaids, hippocampi...
Overall, a cute intro to mythological creatures for children.
Now I'm off to watch The Last Unicorn again!
May 28, 2021
Kay O'Neill is one of my favorite illustrators. When they announced they were working on this novel with Gwynne, I was super excited. I put it on my Christmas wishlist and I am finally getting around to reading it. It wasn't what I was expecting. If there ever was a textbook on unicorns, this would be it. I liked that there was history, timelines, legends, stories, recipes and arts and crafts. I adored the illustrations: unicorns, pegasus, mermaids, sirens, dragons - they are all connected and beautiful. This would be a wonderful novel for any younger children who want to learn all about unicorn lore. If I could bear tearing out some of the pages, I would frame them.
September 22, 2022
I thought this was a lovely book about unicorns! I loved that it toed the line of fiction and nonfiction and of course K O’Neill’s illustrations were as whimsical and wonderful as ever.
Including unicorn activities at the end were great and I really appreciated the real life application of horse safety as well!
Including unicorn activities at the end were great and I really appreciated the real life application of horse safety as well!
November 19, 2022
So I started reading this book with my child (no surprise there), but they bailed on me so I finished it by myself. Too bad for my child as they missed all the information about the history of My Little Ponies and The Last Unicorn which are undeniably the best toys and movie, respectively, about unicorns. As for the alicorn debate? I'm sticking with winged unicorn or pegacorn.
June 1, 2021
I hoped to have so much more of Katie's illustrations, but this was very heavy on text. And the pictures were just different shades of gray and green.
Actually, Katie was the reason I even bought this book 😅
But oh well, love unicorns so ❤️
Actually, Katie was the reason I even bought this book 😅
But oh well, love unicorns so ❤️
Want to read
August 5, 2020Note: I accessed a digital review copy of this book through Edelweiss.
October 11, 2020
Loved the art. Could have been more in my personal opinion. Really liked the first half of the book (history, myths etc.) I did not like the second half (how to train your unicorn).
January 11, 2021
My unicorn-loving, mythical creature-adoring daughter and I were reading this together. It started great, but became a boring and tiresome read half way through the book.
January 31, 2021
A bit padded and repetitive at times but otherwise surprisingly thorough.
May 29, 2021
Everything you wanted to know about unicorns and then some!!
February 25, 2022
Kid me would’ve eaten this up. As always, I love K. O’Neill’s illustrations.
March 17, 2022
Adorable! I love all the mythology and lore. The DIY projects are something my younger self would have loved. There is definitely a good bit of it that appeals to horse girls. Lots of fun.
May 8, 2023
Fantastic! I would have read this book to shreds if it had been published when I was in elementary school.
April 1, 2024
Cute! Lots of unicorn history!
September 20, 2024
Cute. Love the lists of books and movies. 3 stars because it wasn't exactly what I thought, but still good
April 28, 2025
love unicorns
April 29, 2025
Whimsical, but with real research and legends. I would have cherished this as a young person.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews