Where have the Unicorns Gone? by Jane Yolen illustrated by Ruth Sanderson

"In the moment that separates nighttime and dawn,

The instant of daydream that's here and then gone,

You might see the toss of a mane or a horn

And the wavery shape of escape unicorn

In that watery eden, the sea."

I picked up this book at a recent charity book sale. It was published in 2003 but when I checked an online bookseller it seems it might still be available. This is a book I would most certainly add to my Senior Picture book collection for readers aged 10+ mainly because this book is filled with the most sophisticated words:

haven; golding glades; routed by gouts of iron-red flames; gouged from hillsides; clacketing mills; catacombed hills; cataphonetics of city and town; noxious smog; wee wisplets of fog; and contrails of rockets.

This book is also begging to be read aloud. And think about that word cataphonetics! It would be fabulous to put this book into the hands of a talented and passionate teacher of Grade 6 or 7 or 8. 

The illustrations by Ruth Sanderson are so rich. They perfectly depict all the environments where unicorns once roamed freely. This book is a perfect example of the way words and illustrations should work together. Read more about Ruth Sanderson who was born in 1951 here. I found a 2016 interview with Ruth Sanderson where she talks about her art and processes. 

"Where have the unicorns gone?

They have scattered far from the noxious smog,

Wrapping themselves in wee wisplets of fog;

Leaving the iron-sharp city-straight scapes,

Fleeing in greying and tatter moon capes,

Away from the scenting of fire and fume."

Bookseller blurb: Long ago unicorns lived in a haven of sun-dappled glades and flower-filled dells. But as civilization spread over the ages -- with its fierce knights, its chugging trains, its thick smogs -- unicorns had to find a new sanctuary. But where? Jane Yolen finds a magical answer in the traditional unicorn myth. Her rhythmic, rhymed text is irresistible to read aloud. And Ruth Sanderson's brilliant artwork gives unicorns a bold reality in everything from ancient cave paintings to their secret, present-day home. After reading this tribute to the mystical, mysterious unicorn, children will enjoy looking for these elusive creatures in the world around them.

Jane Yolen talks about her book here on her web page. Click on the name Jane Yolen at the bottom of this post to see other books I have mentioned on this blog. 

If you are talking to your class about alliteration just look at these examples:

• dimity bells
• golding glades
• shadows shift in silver shades
• (the) perfect peace of ponds
• (the) ribbon-rolled river
• webbings of wires
• silken and swift and silver and streak

"They have galloped away, never looking around,

To wade in the perfect peace of ponds."