Amy Krouse Rosenthal (1965–2017)

Thinking of her human friend, Uni the Unicorn decides to visit the little girl in her own world. Zipping down a rainbow, Uni no sooner arrives than she is involved in the little girl's cake-baking contest. Although disaster continuously strikes the little girl's cake, Uni is encouraging, proving herself a good friend. Then, feeling that her little girl has worked hard, our unicorn heroine steps in, using her horn to improve the confection...

Part of Random House's Step Into Reading collection show more (Step 2: Reading With Help), Uni Bakes a Cake is one of a growing number of beginning readers to feature this unicorn character and her adventures. Having enjoyed all three picture books about Uni—the first two written by Amy Krouse Rosenthal, and then after her death, the third written by her daughter Paris—I have been exploring other titles in the franchise, including board books and beginning readers. There really isn't much to these books, for the adult reader—they're really more for toddlers (in the case of the board books) and beginning readers—but I have enjoyed them for the most part, appreciating the sweet stories and cute artwork. Unfortunately, that was not the case here. I was surprised and dismayed to see that Uni's actions, while perhaps well-intentioned, were not addressed in the story. It would be one thing for Uni to use her magic to help the little girl, if she was baking on her own, but to do so in the context of a contest is clearly cheating. The most charitable interpretation I could put upon this is that perhaps Uni is not meant to understand about competitions, or what cheating means, given that she lives in the unicorn world. But if that is what was intended, it should have been addressed in the story. Instead, her actions are just accepted in the narrative, and while the little girl doesn't win the contest, the whole thing left a bad taste in my mouth. I'm not usually one to argue for more overt didacticism in children's books, but to introduce unethical and dishonest behavior in a title aimed at this age group, and then not address it, felt inappropriate to me. Not recommended. show less

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 show more 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 or otherwise) and dream of encountering them. show less

Achingly beautiful. Rosenthal finds the beauty in the mundane and reminds us to cherish each moment. The book is all the more poignant when you find out she died of cancer not long after this was published. I loved the interactive elements. You can text a phone number and vote in surveys and receive audio clips of things she mentions. I've never felt so immediately connected to a community of readers.

“Just look at us, all of us, quietly doing our thing and trying to matter. The show more earnestness is inspiring and heartbreaking at the same time.”

“The same five letters can be rearranged to express my daily sense of—and relationship to—time. First from the viewpoint of childhood, then young adulthood, and now, the present. ACRES of it..CARES about it. RACES against it.” show less

Author Amy Krouse Rosenthal and illustrator Tom Lichtenheld team up in this amusing picture-book examination of perspective, as two unseen narrators argue about whether the creature before them is a duck or a rabbit. It all depends upon how you look at it, as it happens...

Justly praised as a means of explaining differing perspectives and opinions to younger children, I think Duck! Rabbit! also works very well as an exploration of visual orientation. It's an interesting thing, how one "reads" show more an image, and is tied I believe, to how one reads text. The standard western method of reading from left to right influences western artistic standards, with paintings and other visual works of art often considered most powerful, when moving across the canvas in that same direction. But what happens if one reads in a language that moves across the page from right to left? Will this influence how one "reads" artwork? This engaging little book really demonstrates this kind of visual orientation, and I suspect that most young western readers will have an easier time seeing the rabbit, and will have to look a little harder for the duck. I know I did! Recommended to anyone looking for picture-books containing visual puzzles and/or games, and to those in the market for children's stories teaching about perspective, and how it can change. show less