The Twelve Unicorns of Christmas

September 1, 2020
If you give a kid a unicorn, Christmas chaos ensues. Although clearly inspired by the carol "The Twelve Days of Christmas," the text largely eschews the song's cadence, not to mention any real attempt at cumulative structure. The result is a merry mess of a picture book without much to recommend it to anyone except the most die-hard unicorn fan. The text is ostensibly written in the voice of a child narrator: "On the first day of Christmas, / my parents gave to me... / 1 sparkling Christmas tree! / And a real-life UNICORN!" The text proceeds to count up through the 12 days of Christmas to list various things and people who make appearances, often interacting with the unicorn. There is no obvious rhyme or reason to the order, and at the book's end Santa brings another 11 unicorns to make the solitary one who showed up on the first day feel better. (It had sneezed glitter on the 10th day, which apparently was a symptom of loneliness for its kind?) The cartoony art is perhaps stronger than the haphazard text, but it doesn't succeed in magically transforming the book into one worth gifting. The narrator and most other people, including Santa, appear White in the illustrations. (This book was reviewed digitally with 10.8-by-19.2-inch double-page spreads viewed at 27.7% of actual size.) Don't bother putting this one under the tree. (Picture book. 3-5)

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September 21, 2020
Breaking with tradition, Knapman turns the favorite cumulative Christmas carol into a countdown to Christmas Day. Preparations begin with zing as a unicorn-obsessed blond-haired girl announces: “On the first day of Christmas,/ my parents gave to me.../ 1 sparkling Christmas tree!/ And a real-life UNICORN!” Subsequent days outline activities enthusiastically undertaken with the unicorn, such as making “9 cards with unicorns on them!” for friends. By Christmas Eve, the girl’s unicorn pal has lost some of his sparkle, and she makes a special request of Santa. The book’s title teases the boisterous group of four-legged revelers who appear, ready to celebrate Christmas morning. Though typical seasonal activities are spotlighted, unicorn fans will delight in the narrator’s unicorn-tastic wardrobe—pajamas, headbands, and even a dress adorned with the mythical horned creatures—as well as the plethora of rainbow and glitter details throughout. Final art not seen by PW. Ages 4–8.