Neil Reed

A young girl named Millie, accompanied by her father and her pet dog Casper, goes on her daily trip to the local park, where she likes to visit a statue of a unicorn. Embracing this beloved figure, Millie (together with Casper) is swept up in a magical adventure, riding the unicorn through an enchanting night, seeing the mountains, the desert and the ocean, and visiting an island of unicorns, before returning to her father. He thinks her adventure was a dream, but Millie knows better...

The show more Midnight Unicorn is a lovely picture-book, featuring story and illustrations from British author/artist Neil Reed, and pairing an engaging story-line and beautiful artwork. Millie's experiences are of that ambiguous kind - it could be a dream, it could be an imaginative game, or it could be a real-life experience - so common in childhood literature. Perhaps this reflects the way in which the young naturally inhabit a liminal borderland between youth and age, reality and fantasy. Whatever the case may be, the result here was charming. Recommended to young unicorn lovers, and to anyone seeking picture-books featuring magical journeys. show less

Annotation: Millie’s favorite spot is next to a statue of a unicorn located in a near by park; is it just a statue?

Review:

This book is perfect for the child obsessed with unicorns, though it may appeal more to young girls more than boys due to the girl protagonist. Millie climbs on the back of the unicorn and both the unicorn and her dog begin to fly above the neighborhood. The unicorn takes her on a journey to the ocean, the desert, by the moon and on top of a mountain. The picture book show more is oversized which makes it an easy to book to share with groups. One of the best scenes is the illustration of Millie riding the unicorn into the ocean breakers, joined by several other unicorns that wish to frolic in the ocean. Specific areas of the illustrations are laminated causing the main on the unicorn, Millie’s hair or the moon to shine. I found myself running my fingers over each page, which I’m sure a child would enjoy too. Millie wakes up next to the statue and wonders if the journey was a dream. This book is recommended for children ages 3-7.

Other Reviews: School Library Journal finds the illustrations to be the star of the book. I agree that the oversize watercolor pages will enchant the reader to dream along with the girl.

School Library Journal 53.1 (Jan 2007): 107(1) show less

Wow. Reading this is like eating sugar with a big, big spoon. So sweet you just gag.

The pictures are pretty.

The Midnight Unicorn sweeps you away on an adventure in a young girls imagination where she and a park statue fly to other worlds together.