envy

Review: Unicorn Thinks He’s Pretty Great by Bob Shea

| Tasha

unicorn thinks hes pretty great

Unicorn Thinks He’s Pretty Great by Bob Shea

Goat is disgruntled.  Everything was going just fine and then Unicorn came along.  Goat rides his bike proudly until Unicorn actually flies by.  Goat brought treats for the class and then Unicorn made it rain cupcakes.  Goat was doing great at the dance but Unicorn won first prize.  Goat does some simple magic coin tricks and Unicorn turns things to gold.  It just is not fair.  So Goat is not ready for Unicorn to come up to him when he’s having lunch and talk about how much he loves goat cheese, how he adores cloven hooves, and how jealous he is of Goat’s curved horns.  The book ends with the two deciding to be friends and imagining what they would look like as a superhero team. 

Shea always does comedic writing very nicely with a great sense of timing and books that are ideal for reading aloud thanks to the strong character voices.  Here Goat steals the show despite Unicorn’s more flashy attitude.  His dour attitude is nicely enlivened with humor and his own wry take on life. 

Shea’s art is done in his signature simple yet rather zany style.  Unicorn’s magical traits are portrayed in a flashy, wild way that makes them all the more funny and impressive.  With only a few lines, the mood of both Unicorn and Goat are clearly shown.

Funny and wild, this book proves that the cupcake is always fresher on the other side of the rainbow.  Appropriate for ages 3-5.

Reviewed from library copy.

Sivu’s Six Wishes: A Modern, Traditional Tale

| Tasha

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Sivu’s Six Wishes by Jude Daly

A retelling of an old Taoist tale, this is the story of Sivu, a stonecarver.  Sivu could make amazing things from stone but despite his skill, he never made a lot of money and turned bitter.  One day, when carving a statue for a wealthy man, Sivu dreamed of how great that man’s life must be.  Suddenly, Sivu was the wealthy man.  He had plenty of power and wealth, but everyone despised him.  Then Sivu was stopped by the mayor’s procession and he dreamed of being the mayor with all of his power.  Suddenly, Sivu was the mayor.  But again, everyone hated him.  Sivu looked out over the gardens and saw the sun.  He wished he could be the sun, and he was.  He shone down, far too fiercely, and created a drought.  Then a storm cloud came over the sky and Sivu the sun could not move it.  He wished he could be the powerful rain cloud, and he was.  Now he rained too harshly and caused a flood.  Eventually, the wind blew him out to sea.  Sivu wished he was the wind, and he was.  He blew and blew, until one day he came across something that he could not move.  He wished he could become that, and he did.  He was a huge rock, completely unmovable until one day…

This is a story that makes the themes of power, wealth, and desire come alive.  Daly has created a very readable text that moves briskly from wish to wish, examining each one and then going on.  She has set the story in the present day, making it all the more accessible to modern children.  This is both an old story and a new one, vibrant across time.   Daly has illustrated the book with modern illustrations that are bright colored and busy.  They convey both the hustle of the modern day and the timelessness of the story with ease. 

Recommended as a way to get children talking about envy and contentment, need, wealth and power, this book leaves nothing to wish for.  Appropriate for ages 6-9.

Reviewed from copy received from Eerdmans.