Margaret’s Unicorn, written by Briony May Smith, is a winsome tale introducing children to a unicorn colt. Kindergarteners to second graders will love witnessing his friendship with a young girl named Margaret.
The story starts with Margaret and her family moving to the mountains to be near her grandmother. The new house’s bare, white walls and unlit fireplace give power to the following quote: “Everything smelled different and strange, and the house was full of empty spaces.” After Dad tells her to go out and explore, Margaret reaches the spot where she has an expansive view of the sunlit sea. She watches the fog, which precedes the clouds; only they’re not clouds. They’re unicorns floating into the sky, but a baby dappled unicorn gets left behind. Margaret finds him and shows him to her grandmother, who tells her about unicorns.
Smith does an awesome job building the story’s world. Unicorns drink water touched by moonlight and eat flowers. After the little unicorn drinks the moonlit water, his horn radiates with light, illuminating Margaret’s dimmed bedroom with a gentle blue. He hangs out like a pet dog and lies with Margaret by the fireplace. They experience the seasons together as they watch the autumn leaves fall, decorate the Christmas tree, and surround themselves with grass and flowers. Readers who have never heard of horse chestnuts will see one, as Margaret opens one and touches its inside, its softness described in a way that appeals to fantasy fans: a “fairy fur coat.”
A year passes, and the unicorns return. The unicorns in this book must age slower than horses, for when Margaret’s unicorn reunites with his mother, he’s still young and tiny. Margaret hugs her unicorn goodbye, but she later makes friends with a girl named Abbie, assuring readers that life goes on and brings fresh experiences. However, children will be happy that Margaret sees the unicorn again, and his coat has changed from its baby dappled color into a grown-up unicorn’s classic white.
If you’d love to live the wonder of seasons, the awe of new friendships, and the entertainment of a unicorn foal behaving like a puppy, look no further than Margaret’s Unicorn. Here’s a snowman idea for winter: like the book’s characters, you can make a miniature unicorn with an icicle horn. The story also captures the joy of pets, and if you have pets at home, have fun with them like Margaret with her unicorn.
A perfect gift for the unicorn lovers in your life, this lovely and utterly transporting picture book tells the story of what every little girl wishes would happen to her: a girl finds and takes care of a lost baby unicorn.
Margaret’s whole world changes when her family moves to a cottage by the sea to be near her grandma. One evening, Margaret spots a mist over the water. No, that’s not a mist…clouds maybe? No, they’re unicorns descending onto the shore! They vanish as quickly as they’d appeared but accidentally leave behind a baby, tangled in the weeds. Margaret, lonely and in need of a friend, brings him home and cares for him through the fall and winter. Together, they chase the waves, stomp on frozen puddles, and build snow unicorns. When spring finally comes around, and the other unicorns return, Margaret takes her small friend back to his family… but these two won’t forget one another. And though Margaret misses him, she has made a new friend, and her new cottage is starting to feel like home. With all the feel of a classic, here is a picture book young readers will want to revisit again and again.
