Unicorn Dreams

At first, his classmates tease him about having seen a unicorn, but when Dan's new friend appears by his side again and again, people think twice about their comments as their town is slowly transformed into a magical land before their very eyes.

PreSchool-Grade 2?When Dan, a daydreamer, is caught gazing out the window at school, his teacher dismisses his truthful claim that he saw a unicorn and his skeptical classmates tease him. The same scenario plays itself out several times until the unicorn follows Dan home, shares his snack, helps him with his homework, and sleeps over. At school the next day, Dan volunteers to tell a story in class and captivates both teacher and pupils with his wonder-filled unicorn story. This time no one laughs?instead the children follow Dan into a land filled with castles and unicorns. Sheldon's story will strike a chord with the daydreamers among us and, perhaps, open a window to wonder for those with their feet planted firmly on the ground. Reed's luminous paintings help to capture and reveal the enchantment of this boy's world. While living in the gray shadows of reality, teacher and students are touched by (but don't feel) the radiance of the creature, but when Dan transports them into his magic they bask in its glow. The illustrator skillfully juxtaposes the dull, everyday world of street and school with a land of castles inhabited by fantastic creatures. Especially captivating is the illustration in which the child and the unicorn watch television together. Reed's unicorn, always surrounded by a cloud of butterflies (and the sound of bells), will win the hearts of romantics of all ages.?Jeanne Clancy Watkins, Upper Merion Township Library, King of Prussia, PA
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Ages 4^-7. From the author of Whales' Song (1991) comes another book celebrating the power of a child's imagination. Danny is the only one who has spotted the unicorn in town. He's seen it once in traffic, once in a store window, and once in the school yard. His teacher accuses him of daydreaming, and the other students tease him: "Dreamy Dan! Dreamy Dan!" But when the unicorn follows Danny home and spends the afternoon and night with him, Danny knows the unicorn isn't a dream. The next day at school, the unicorn leads all of the schoolchildren to its enchanted world, "where dragons played and wizards worked spells." Bold watercolors help make this a natural for reading aloud, especially in combination with Lynn Cherry's Dragon and the Unicorn (1996) or Geraldine McCaughrean's Unicorns! Unicorns! (1997). Helen Rosenberg