Itty-Bitty Kitty-Corn

Starred review from January 11, 2021
This picture book by collaborators Hale and Pham (Real Friends, the Princess in Black series) unfolds on a field of bright white space, a wide-open world tailor-made for a cast of vivid and strong personalities, all rendered in can’t-miss colors. Accordingly, a pink puffball kitten who feels “so perfectly unicorn-y” ties a paper horn to her head, where it points “up, up, up to the sky.” Looking in the mirror, she sees a marvelous horned steed with a luxuriant purple mane. But two household naysayers—a bright green parakeet and an orange gecko—insist that their reality is immutable. “You’re never going to be a unicorn, funny-foo,” says Parakeet. “You meow in your sleep, miffy-mew,” adds Gecko. Then a unicorn appears, confides to Kitty that he admires her “fuzzy ears and silver whiskers,” and, donning a pink cat-ear headband, declares himself a “kitty-corn,” too. What ostensibly starts out as an almost criminally cute tale of pretend play transforms into something much more: a celebration of claiming and naming one’s identity and having it affirmed by others—even if it’s a community of two. “I knew that another kitty-corn like you would see,” says the unicorn. “Yes,” says Kitty, “I see you.” Ages 4–8. Author’s agent: Jodi Reamer, Writers House. Illustrator’s agent: Holly McGhee, Pippin Properties.

February 15, 2021
Preschool-Grade 2 A tiny kitty wishes desperately to be a unicorn. She dons a pointy paper horn, prances her pawed hooves, gallops on her tiny legs, puffs up her pink tail, and neighs, but her friends Parakeet and Gecko remain decidedly unimpressed. Then a real unicorn appears, making kitty feel smaller than a ball of lint, until he slips on a headband with fuzzy, pink ears and confesses that he is actually a ""kitty-corn,"" just like her. This newest Hale-Pham collaboration features appealing characters, laugh-out-loud humor, and clever plot twists--a talent that earlier endeared these creators to The Princess in Black (2015) fans. Pham's brightly colored digital art extends the text in several places: for example, the opening endpapers depict Kitty crafting her horn, while the closing ones portray Parakeet and Gecko clowning around with their own headgear. The text is kept brief, allowing the artwork to shine, and the use of colors for Kitty's and Unicorn's speech identifiers helps to clarify the details of this original but never cloying friendship.HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: The publisher is pulling out all the stops for these kidlit dynamos, offering floor displays, event and activity kits, and lots of online buzz.

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February 15, 2021
Is Kitty only a kitten? Or might she be a noble unicorn?Inspired by the unicorn on her poster, Kitty crafts a perfect horn and admires herself in the mirror. She feels "unicorn-y." Her friends disagree. " 'You're not a unicorn, putty-pie,' says Parakeet. / 'You're curled up like a cat, fluffy-fry,' says Gecko." So Kitty uncurls to prance and gallop, but her detractors point out her tiny tail. With some effort she plumps it up. They tell her she will never be a unicorn because she meows like a cat; this, of course, prompts her to let out a loud "NEIGH!" Parakeet and Gecko are having none of it, each time varying their mild name-calling. As the sun dips low, Kitty's sure her long shadow looks like a unicorn's--until a real unicorn clops into view. Gecko and Parakeet are impressed, and Kitty feels insignificant. But this unicorn has a secret...a pair of fluffy, pink kitty ears the same pink as Kitty's. They can be kitty-corns together, best friends. Unicorn fans will definitely identify with Hale's protagonist and respond well to Pham's bright cartoons, laid out as spot illustrations that pop against the mostly all-white backgrounds. The way Kitty's friends dismissively poke fun with their name-calling may give some readers pause, but the be-true-to-the-inner-you message and the expressive characterizations add appeal. (This book was reviewed digitally with 12-by-18-inch double-page spreads viewed at 51.2% of actual size.)Likely to cause some imaginative prancing among unicorn and kitty lovers. (Picture book. 3-7)

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