David Miles (6)

Unicorn and Horse share a pen in this entertaining picture-book examination of jealousy, and the possibility of friendship between two very different individuals. While Unicorn has every conceivable charm and appeal - a sapphire horn, silver coat, rainbow mane, white teeth - his more pedestrian pen-mate is just a plain, brown horse. While Unicorn sings and dances, and eats pink cupcakes, Horse huffs, stands in the rain, and munches on hay. Horse cannot stand the happier, more popular show more Unicorn, until the day he (Unicorn) is kidnapped, and a choice must be made: ride to the rescue, or ignore the colorful equine's plight...

A sweet story of overcoming jealousy, and learning to accept yourself and others is paired with bright, colorful artwork in Unicorn (and Horse). With the current crop of unicorn-themed picture-books - Uni the Unicorn by Amy Krouse Rosenthal, Thelma the Unicorn by Aaron Blabey, You Don't Want a Unicorn by Ame Dyckman, to name just a few - this new title from author David Miles and illustrator Hollie Mengert is sure to find an appreciative audience. I'm not familiar with the publisher - Familius Publishing, based in Sanger, California - but according to their website they publish books whose intention is to promote happy families. Given that this is so, it's difficult not to read this one as a tale of sibling rivalry, and how that dynamic is replaced with a healthier, less resentful relationship. However you choose to interpret the story, this is just an engaging little book, with fun, expressive artwork and a heartwarming conclusion. Recommended to all young unicorn (and horse) fans, and to anyone looking for picture-books about jealousy. show less

In a Nutshell: Cute illustrations, but not much to say about the story. I can see that the average rating is quite high, so it might just be me being the grumpy “horse” in this review.

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Plot Preview:

Unicorn is all things bright and shiny. Horse is all things dull and sulky. Needless to say, all animals love Unicorn and avoid Horse. But when a catastrophe befalls Unicorn, Horse gallops to the rescue. All’s well that ends well.

Sounds cute. But somewhere between show more the above idea and the execution, there is a mismatch. The content is somewhat ordinary, and the story structure (which is important even in picture books) feels a bit haphazard, with many missed moments of value addition.

There was plenty of potential for some lovely life lessons in this story. Not that I want every picture book to have morals, but this one had the scope to offer important messages within the plot. The highlight on how one shouldn’t feel envious about others’ popularity, the importance of having a friendly attitude if one wants friends, the efforts required to make friends, helping friends even when there is nothing in it for us, being comfortable with yourself even if you are on the duller/quieter side – any or all of these could have been a part of this story, but they are not.

I am also not sure how to feel about the kidnappers. The last thing I expected in a book with magical animals is human criminals popping in to commit an ordinary crime against a not-so-ordinary creature. They felt quite out of place.

Horse is said to be envious of Unicorn’s popularity, but he rebuffs Unicorn’s offer of friendship and just sits aside grumpily. After the rescue, they suddenly become friends. There is no conversation about or clarification of Horse’s earlier feelings. It is a bit too instant to be convincing, especially considering how aloof Horse was all the time.

I wish there had been better interaction between Unicorn and Horse. This “I did something for you, so now you can be my friend” attitude doesn’t work well for me. My daughter, who was reading this along with me, said, ‘I don’t see the point of this book. How did they resolve the problem without even talking about it?” I second her opinion. The story is too flat to be impactful.

Big doubt: How the heck did Horse end up making rainbows at the end?

Where the book scores is in the illustrations. They are cute and colourful. The contrast between rainbow-hued Unicorn and brown Horse highlights their contrary personalities.

All in all, this is a book not to be checked out for the plot but only for the vibrant illustrations. There are a couple of fun moments, but the story on the whole feels lacklustre.

Read it if it can be borrowed from the library. The text makes it suitable for kids aged 3-6.

2 stars, mostly for the graphics.

My thanks to Familius for providing the DRC of “Unicorn (and Horse)” via NetGalley. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book. Sorry this didn’t work out better.

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This is a very sweet story about being average. Unicorn is magical, beautiful, and extraordinary; horse is brown, average, and ordinary. Horse spends most of the book lamenting the fact that he has to share a pen with Unicorn who seems to outshine Horse in every way. The art is adorable as Hollie Megert captures Horse’s jealousy and Unicorn’s obliviousness in obvious but hilarious ways that children and adults will enjoy. The writing is witty and heartfelt, communicating that being show more oneself, even if one is ordinary, is enough to be fulfilled in life. show less

The donuts in a donut shop get up to lots of fun at night in this sing-song picture-book from author/illustrator David Miles. The main narrative, which describes the various donut shenanigans, is augmented by lots of speech bubbles, as the donut characters talk to one another, utilizing lots of little puns. At the conclusion of the book (and the night), the donuts realize that they will be eaten, and hatch an escape plan...

Having enjoyed Miles' other picture-book published by Familius, show more Unicorn (and Horse), I was curious to see what I would think of this one. All in all, I found Donuts: The Hole Story a fun little picture-book, one which pairs an entertaining read-aloud text in rhyme with colorful, photo-based illustrations. I don't know that it's destined to be a particular favorite - the BEST donut picture-book ever, of course, is Mark Alan Stamaty's marvelous Who Needs Donuts? - but I think it will keep young children entertained. show less