Book Nook: Uni the Unicorn

Book Nook: Uni the Unicorn

So, I thought I'd share with you some of our favourite books from our book nook, starting with our most recent acquisition, Uni the Unicorn written by Amy Krouse Rosenthal and illustrated by Brigette Barrager. I bought it for Lamb's fifth birthday and we just adore it. In a nutshell, it's about a Unicorn who believes in the existence of little girls, despite what the other Unicorns tell her:

In almost every way, Uni was like all the other unicorns. But there was one thing that definitely set Uni apart ... Uni believed that little girls were REAL.

I must admit that the charming irony of this line is completely lost on Lamb. I can almost hear her think, "Well, yeah, of course they are" when I read it to her. Like many other girls her age she has not quite yet drawn the distinction between fantasy and reality. So, in her mind, there is no question about whether unicorns exist or not. She has she never seen one, but nor has she ever seen a snow leopard or a toucan. Despite being so gender specific, I love three things about this book: Firstly, the moral of the story, which is to have the courage to hold firm to your beliefs whatever people around you might say or think. Secondly, the beautiful, colourful, whimsical illustrations that hark back to another era. They remind me of something you could have found in the sixties or seventies. Thirdly, this specific line:

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

Not a beautiful girl or pretty little girl, a "strong smart wonderful magical little girl". I know it's a small thing but it's the thing that really sold me on this book. Well, at least, if the illustrations hadn't pretty much done so already.