Begin with this post by my friend from Kinderbookswitheverything - I confess I was one of her library customers who asked about this book not knowing it cost almost AUS$40 - which is way too high for any school library to consider.
In this video Colby Sharp talks enthusiastically about this book.
I think The Teeny-Weeny Unicorn could be fun to read aloud mainly because the words 'teeny-weeny' are such fun to say. This book does have a 'message' but the funny parts of the story and the soft-focus illustrations along with the delicious twist at the end mean the moral "we are all just the right size" does not feel too heavy handed. There is also a satisfying structure to the story when the galloping, cantering, trotting and walking page is repeated.
Teeny-Weeny is bullied by his huge siblings. I love their names and wonder in a different context if they themselves might be subject to some bullying! - Fancy Annie and Prince Butterscotch. They use him as a piece in their giant chess game and tease him about being too small to swim in the castle moat. The mother and father unicorns never intervene and so finally Teeny-Weeny runs away! He accidentally steps onto, and crushes, a car belonging to a gnome. She is not happy. Note the gnome is a girl or a lady! And suddenly Teeny-Weeny is BIG.
'Sorry doesn't feed the bullfrog,' she said, trying to catch her breath."
The gnome demands $250,000 as payment for her broken vehicle. Luckily the Unicorns live in a castle filled with gold left by the previous owner. (You could talk to your class about this reference - hint I am thinking of dragons).
I won't want to spoil the final twist, but I will say the gnome now needs transport for all this treasure and you will remember two very large unicorns live in the castle!
One more thing - the preamble to this story really sets up the fun:
"Once upon a time, in a land where horses were mythical beasts, found only in the pages of books for children, it was common to see a unicorn. But not one this size."
At last! A unicorn book as charming as the species it highlights. Kirkus Star review Facial expressions and visual gags complement the text perfectly, all thanks to Harris’ particular skill with chalk pastel.
Shawn Harris (click this link to see inside The Teeny-Weeny Unicorn and here is a video of Shawn) is an award-winning creator of books for kids. His authorial debut, Have You Ever Seen A Flower, was called a “stunning tour de force…” by The New York Times, and was the recipient of a Caldecott Honor. The National Museum of Wildlife Art awarded Shawn’s cut-paper art in A Polar Bear in the Snow (by Mac Barnett) the Bull-Bransom Award for excellence in the field of children’s book illustration with a focus on nature and wildlife. Harris has illustrated a number of other books, including Her Right Foot by Dave Eggers, and Everyone’s Awake by Colin Meloy. He also illustrated The eyes and the Impossible.
The size and perception issue in this book reminded me of this wonderful older book which sadly is long out of print.
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