Bubbly Beautiful Kitty-Corn

February 21, 2024
Preschool-Grade 2 Unicorn has a beautiful, bewitching, bubbly dream that he hasn't shared with anyone: he secretly longs to be an enchanting mermaid. Kitty will do anything to make her best friend happy, so she crafts and scraps together two glorious mermaid tails, and they head to the seashore . . . where unicorn confesses that he can't swim. Undeterred, Kitty gathers spare floaties, and after much unelegant splashing and splooshing, Unicorn finally feels majestic, because nothing is as enchanting as a friend who will help you achieve your dreams. The latest from the creators of the Kitty-Corn series yet again puts a message of friendship, inclusion, and unconditional love at the forefront of an adorable story. Through playful, alliteration-filled text, Hale crafts an appealing new challenge for the duo to tackle, and Pham uses her trademark humor, memorable character expressions, and accomplished graphic-novel-style digital artwork (including terrific endpapers) to support and elevate the text. Fans of the series will be excited for an addition, but it also stands alone as a sweet friendship "tail."

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April 1, 2024
In the latest in Hale and Pham's popular series, a majestic unicorn nurtures big dreams. Itty-Bitty Kitty-Corn (2021) validated Kitty's desire to be a unicorn and Unicorn's longings to be a kitty; the book wrapped up with both of them declaring themselves kitty-corns. But Unicorn also sometimes wishes he were a mermaid (an "enchanting mermaid," at that). Kitty can make that dream a reality. After spending hours with her craft supplies (like the ones she made her horn with), she creates two mermaid tails. One is purple and itty-bitty, and the other is unicorn-sized and green, and "Unicorn's eyes get wobbly with tears." Kitty has made his dream come true...but she's not done yet. They must go to the beach to don their tails and really live it up. With Kitty's pet fish and her pals Parakeet and Gecko in tow, they arrive...but the beach doesn't measure up to Unicorn's hopes. And he finally comes clean: He can't swim. Not to worry! Resourceful Kitty has it under control! Unicorn's a bit disappointed: Surely real mermaids don't need floaties or goggles. Still, he feels enchanted, not because of his tail...but because he has a friend like Kitty. Though the story conveys the same ideas of "live your dreams" and "be your inner you" as in previous installments, it's still pink and purple (and bubbly) fun. Pham uses white space effectively, while the friendship between the central characters shines through. An encouraging tale of self-acceptance, friendship...and unicorns. (Picture book. 3-7)

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