I'm a Unicorn

by Helen Yoon (Author) Helen Yoon (Illustrator)

Reading Level: 2nd − 3rd Grade

What happens when a one-horned calf with impeccable logic is convinced they're a unicorn? Helen Yoon spins an endearing comedy of self-determination for gigglers everywhere.

"See?" cries the calf. "Uni means one, and corn means horn!"

Even their baby picture proves it: they were born with one horn! But as the eager little calf continues their research, a budding identity crisis arises when they realize they don't quite check all the boxes--should a certain lack of moonlight sparkle or silky mane or rainbow poop decide the issue. Perhaps some unexpected encouragement from a pack of "real" unicorns might be just the assurance they need?

Helen Yoon, the comic talent behind Sheepish (Wolf Under Cover) and the anarchic Off-Limits, returns with a clarion call for self-doubters everywhere to embrace who they are--unicorn or otherwise.

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$17.99

Kirkus

Clever. . . [a] conversation starter on acceptance and openness.

ALA/Booklist

Just when you think all the unicorn stories have been done, Yoon comes along with this gem. . . . White-page backgrounds amplify Yoon's simple but highly expressive and hilarious illustrations, and kids will cackle throughout Cow's dramatic emotional journey.

Publishers Weekly

Born with just one horn, a saucer-eyed calf decides they're a unicorn--after all, isn't that the irrefutable definition in Unicorns: Facts & Myths, a volume that the calf displays to readers? "I'm magical," says the brown bovine, pirouetting, elated, in crisp white space. But further perusal of the book reveals qualities the protagonist sorely lacks, including a silky mane and the ability to poop rainbows (the latter verified in an extended and sweetly funny potty scene). When two actual unicorns appear--portrayed in the mixed-media art as sparkly, sleek, and self-possessed--the calf abjectly apologizes for being an imposter. But the unicorns are hardly exacting: if you have one horn, you're one of them. As for not pooping rainbows, a magical parting gift fixes that--"It always works for us," says one unicorn insouciantly. Yoon's (Off-Limits) fresh twist on the theme of acceptance is to treat the big moment of acknowledgement not with hugs or celebration, but rather with comic composure--in doing so, offering hope around fears and the bar for belonging. Ages 3-7. Agency: Rubin Pfeffer Content. (Sept.)

Copyright 2022 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

Review quotes

Yoon's art is simple but effective, with the wide-eyed calf and their heavily tabbed research book set against clean white backgrounds, and when the unicorns finally make their appearance, they bring a riot of color and glitter. . . a reminder that you don't need sparkles to be fabulous (though rainbow poop does help).
—The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books 

Helen Yoon
Helen Yoon is a professional illustrator and a freelance concept designer. She attended ArtCenter College of Design and the University of California, Irvine. She is the author-illustrator of Sheepish (Wolf Under Cover), her debut picture book, and Off-Limits. Helen Yoon lives in the Los Angeles area.
Classification
Fiction
ISBN-13
9781536219760
Lexile Measure
-
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
Candlewick Press (MA)
Publication date
September 20, 2022
Series
-
BISAC categories
JUV019000 - Juvenile Fiction | Humorous Stories
JUV039140 - Juvenile Fiction | Social Themes | Self-Esteem & Self-Reliance
JUV012030 - Juvenile Fiction | Fairy Tales & Folklore | General
JUV022000 - Juvenile Fiction | Legends, Myths, & Fables | General
JUV002000 - Juvenile Fiction | Animals | General
Library of Congress categories
Picture books
Identity (Philosophical concept)
Calves
Unicorns

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