I've been cartooning, or "curtooning," my entire life. As a child, I drew cartoons of everything, from animals to dinosaurs, and was the cartoonist for my elementary school, junior high school, high school, and college newspapers. My cartooning style with big eyes and simple lines came from my favorite cartoonists and their cartoon strips that I read every day in the newspapers. However, my most significant influence was reading every cartoon in Mad Magazine, including comics from Don Martin, Sergio Aragonés, and Al Jaffee. When cable came out with multiple channels in the 1980s, I felt there was not enough kid-friendly content, so I created my award-winning cable show titled It's Curtoon Time.
This book makes me smile because it's filled with a plethora of the cutest cartoons to draw step by step, from rainbows to cupcakes. Sometimes a person will tell me they don't like to draw certain types of cartoons, such as a cat. Still, I remind them that drawing something you are not interested in broadens your horizons and deepens your understanding of the world as you step out of your comfort zone. I like how author Takeshi Sugimori reminds artists to believe in themselves. Plus, he covers the artform of sketch hatching or shading, which is rarely covered in books. When I taught kids how to draw on my It's Curtoon Time TV show, I would remind them to add shading at the end of each cartoon. Sometimes life is about rainbows and unicorns!
I’m a British author who specializes in writing about diversity and inclusion. I’ve always been a firm believer in equality for all, and I think diversity is such a vital subject for children to learn. It’s so important to teach children to love themselves and treat others how they would want to be treated, even if they are different than you. I believe a little bit of love goes a long way. I hope you enjoy my list of children’s books about diversity and share in my passion for children’s books that champion love and acceptance for everyone.
The idea that certain colors are only for certain genders has always bothered me. So, I love that this book addresses this subject without being “preachy.” It simply says that all colors are for everyone: boys and girls alike. It’s such an important message for children to learn and it allows young people to celebrate their own identity without fear of judgment. The text itself is very simple and uses clean but impressively colorful illustrations to tell the story.
An empowering and educational picture book that proves colors are for everyone, regardless of gender.
Pink is for boys . . . and girls . . . and everyone! This timely and beautiful picture book rethinks and reframes the stereotypical blue/pink gender binary and empowers kids-and their grown-ups-to express themselves in every color of the rainbow. Featuring a diverse group of relatable characters, Pink Is for Boys invites and encourages girls and boys to enjoy what they love to do, whether it's racing cars and playing baseball, or loving unicorns and dressing up. Vibrant illustrations help children learn and identify…
No one would ever describe me as a unicorn. I’m not graceful. My mane of hair is half an inch long. And I rarely (if ever) prance. I’m a donkey in a party hat and that’s perfectly okay with me. But sometimes it can be kinda rough in a world that tells you that you must be gorgeous instead of goofy, fabulous instead of funny. So I love stories that make me feel a little less alone in my awkwardness – that remind me that all of us, from the most beautiful unicorn to the weirdest little goblin, are not quite what they seem.
An unsuspecting little boy wishes for a unicorn, only to discover that magical pet ownership isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Unicorns leave holes in the ceiling and piles of (cupcake) poo on the floor. And don’t even mention the shedding! Both Ame Dyckman and Liz Climo are hilarious on their own, but as an author/illustrator team, they’re an absolute hoot!
Be careful what pet you wish for in the newest picture book from fan-favorite author Ame Dyckman and rising-star illustrator Liz Climo. When a little boy throws a coin in a well asking for a pet unicorn, he has no idea what kind of trouble he's in for. Unbeknownst to him, unicorns make the absolutely worst pets: they shed, they poke holes in your ceiling, and they make a big mess. With a knowing wink from Ame Dykeman, creator of Wolfie the Bunny and cheerful illustrations from Rory the Dinosaur creator and Tumblr star Liz Climo, this rollicking story shares…
I’m a Scottish writer and have an interest in Scotland’s many mythical creatures. My home country is inhabited by a myriad of mythical creatures, including kelpies, bogles, and mysterious Highland merfolk and I’m sure the natural environment plays a part. The inspiration behind my children’s fantasy novel Guardians of the Wild Unicorns was the fact that the unicorn is Scotland’s national animal. It seemed bizarre that Scotland opted for a mythical creature as a national animal, but when I started to do research into why, all became clear. People in the past believed unicorns were real. Unicorns have a long and proud history in Scotland and were chosen as a symbol of strength, independence, and dignity.
I recommend The Legend of the First Unicorn because I adore unicorn stories and this one is particularly special. This beautifully written story is inspired by Scottish legend and the book’s illustrations are absolutely gorgeous. The Legend of the First Unicorn is a picture book for older readers and is an enjoyable adventure story of imagination, courage, and friendship.
I love that the unicorns in the story are portrayed not as cute, cuddly creatures, but as majestic, powerful beasts. The Legend of the First Unicorn is a stunning book and would make an amazing gift for a child.
Once upon a time in Scotland, a young prince had lost his smile.
It seemed nothing could raise a smile from Prince Donald, not the baker's treats or the bard's songs. The court magician tried to make a new magical beast for the prince, but it was so awkward he let it go. Hana, the magician's granddaughter, was still determined to help Donald. Using her grandfather's magic, she invented a majestic creature with the body of a horse and the horn of a gazelle, and called him 'a unicorn'.
Hana and Donald playfully chase the unicorn through the forest, and…
I grew up on a steady diet of fantasy books and movies, perhaps none so beloved as the 1982 classic The Last Unicorn. And it was my absolute love and childhood devotion to this movie that led to me putting off reading the book it was based on for so long.
Wow, was that a mistake.
I will never not love the movie, but the book is excellent and now just as beloved, a much deeper and moving story than the movie had the time to be. And the language of the book is just beautiful, so full of poetic turns of phrase that a unicorn’s journey deserves. I highly recommend it, whether you were obsessed with the movie as a kid or not.
Experience one of the most enduring classics of the twentieth century and the book that The Atlantic has called “one of the best fantasy novels ever.”
The unicorn lived in a lilac wood, and she lived all alone...
...so she ventured out from the safety of the enchanted forest on a quest for others of her kind. Joined along the way by the bumbling magician Schmendrick and the indomitable Molly Grue, the unicorn learns all about the joys and sorrows of life and love before meeting her destiny in the castle of a…
Ancient mythical animals are all around us in words and images. Following the transformations of such animals through literature and art across millennia has been my passion since the early ’80s. It was then, after years of writing and teaching, that I became intrigued by a winged and fishtailed lion figure on an antique oil lamp hanging in my study. That hybrid creature led me to the eagle-lion griffin and my first published book, The Book of Gryphons. I have followed a host of mythical beasts ever since. My most recent book, The Phoenix: An Unnatural Biography of a Mythical Beast, was published in a 2021 Chinese translation.
The unicorn and the dragon are still the two most ubiquitous animals to emerge from the host of fantastic creatures that began spreading through popular books, art, and film in the late 1970s. Years before the unicorn’s commercial popularity, Odell Shepard’s classic book, The Lore of the Unicorn, traced the millennia-long cultural transformations of the mysterious animal, beginning with an early traveler’s tale of the wild asses of India.
I admire Shepard’s blending of personal voice with wide-ranging research and commentary. He opens his introduction with, “On the table before me, there lies a long straight wand of ivory,” a walking stick made of narwhal tusk, which for centuries had been accepted as unicorn horn.
This work, created in the early 20th century by Odell Shepard, is one of the better works made through time to craft mythology (and cryptozoology of a fashion) together with more modern historical treatments of its subject matter. It is the unicorn (or alicorn) here which concerns the text- and related material ranging from the quite antiquated, to the medieval, and the then-modern as anthropology and adventure made its way further into the outlands of Africa, India, and Tibet.
Here, of note, is an extensive treatment of the purported healing and anti-poison properties of unicorn horn, medieval medicine processing the…
My only granddaughter and her love and fascination with unicorns is the reason why I dedicated Mysty the Mystical Unicorn to her! I hope that Mysty inspires children everywhere to focus on their imagination, creativity and to always believe in themselves! My desire to write a children’s picture book started at a very young age, reading is a passion of mine that my own children inherited and now my grandchildren too! My wish is that all children will love Mysty and enjoy her adventures as well as the five books that I have recommended. Always keep on believing in magic, miracles, and yourselves!
Everyone loves llamas and unicorns so being able to read a book that combines these two beautiful creatures is amazing. Lila the Llama knew if she wanted to find a unicorn, she needed to find a rainbow, so off she went. The creature she found was incredible. Children will love the imagination, creativity, and surprise ending!
I am an illustrator, author, and animator. When I write and draw, I hope to vividly bring characters and settings to life in the imaginations of readers. Mischievous dogs, mysterious old houses, and brilliant mathematicians are some of the subjects I’ve had the pleasure of putting on the pages of books. I love animals and art, so artistic picture books with animals at their heart, give me a lot of joy. Because the illustrations in a picture book tell stories, I look for artwork that expresses character, mood, and movement. The best picture books leave a mark
in visual memory that connects to the feeling of a story.
Margaret’s Unicorn is full of atmosphere and a feeling of place. From the golden, beautifully rendered light, to Margaret’s woollen sweater, the book is like a warm hug. The animal friend in this story is a young unicorn. Margaret, a girl who is adjusting to a recent move to the countryside, witnesses a ghostly, mysterious herd of migrating unicorns on her first walk exploring her new landscape. Moments later, she finds a baby unicorn who was mistakenly left behind. Over the year of waiting for the herd to return, Margaret looks after her little friend and
experiences the seasons in her beautiful new environment. By the time she has to say goodbye, Margaret has settled into her new home and the unicorn is ready to return to his family.
I enjoy this book particularly for the lovely, convincing depiction of the countryside mixed with the touch of magic. Readers will…
A perfect read for unicorn lovers, this beautiful 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. One evening, Margaret spots a mist over the water. No, that's not 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...
My granddaughter is
obsessed with unicorns, so this book went easily into the library bag. But we
were as surprised as the protagonist, Lucy, when we found out Sparkle isn't a
unicorn—spoiler alert—she's a goat!
Poor Lucy wants Sparkle to behave like a
unicorn, and she decides to send her back when that doesn't happen. But with a
wonderful twist, Lucy changes her mind, and Sparkle stays. The subtle lesson the
new goat owner learns is that sometimes, expectations can be changed to
accommodate the new situation.
When Lucy sees an ad in the newspaper for a unicorn, she sends in her twenty five cents and waits four to six long weeks for her very own unicorn to arrive. She imagines the flowers that she'll braid into his beautiful pink mane, and she even picks the perfect name for him: Sparkle. But when Sparkle arrives, his ears are too long, his horn is too short, he smells funny and oh, he has fleas. Lucy isn't pleased, but in the end she warms up to Sparkle and realises that even though he wasn't exactly the unicorn she wanted,…
My only granddaughter and her love and fascination with unicorns is the reason why I dedicated Mysty the Mystical Unicorn to her! I hope that Mysty inspires children everywhere to focus on their imagination, creativity and to always believe in themselves! My desire to write a children’s picture book started at a very young age, reading is a passion of mine that my own children inherited and now my grandchildren too! My wish is that all children will love Mysty and enjoy her adventures as well as the five books that I have recommended. Always keep on believing in magic, miracles, and yourselves!
As a child, we loved to read a Golden Book story before bedtime every night and this book is just as inspiring. Children will fall in love with the little unicorn who is magical, brave, and strong. They will enter a fantastical world of magic and fantasy where everything is possible, all you have to do is believe!
A magical Little Golden Book for a little unicorn lover's Easter basket!
I am moonlight white. I have a magical horn. I look a lot like a horse, of course. . .
So begins this charming Little Golden Book that introduces the magical unicorn to the littlest readers! In this sweet story, gorgeously illustrated by Disney artist Joey Chou, a unicorn tells the readers all about herself ("My horn can make water clean, or heal a hurt") and her magical life ("I frolic in the forest, I prance in the fields"). Sure to delight little ones who love the magic…
