Dear Unicorn

by Josh Funk (Author) Charles Santoso (Illustrator)

Reading Level: 2nd − 3rd Grade

Two pen pals receive the shock of a lifetime in this giggle-inducing ode to friendship, art, and keeping an open mind! Connie's art class is partnering up with pen pals this year, and she loves exchanging letters with her new friend, Nic, even though the two of them are polar opposites.

Connie takes her art seriously and thinks things like kittens are nothing more than a distraction, while Nic has a more whimsical approach to painting and knows the value of a good cupcake. But both are eagerly awaiting the end of year pen pal art festival where their two classes will finally meet.

But they're in for quite the shock...

Connie doesn't know Nic is a unicorn. And Nic has no clue that Connie is a human.

It turns out, though, that even this surprise can't get in the way of true friendship. Through their letters, they see that their differences are their strengths--and that they lave a lot to learn from each other.

With Josh Funk's signature laugh-out-loud humor and Charles Santoso's explosively fun illustrations, Dear Unicorn is a celebration of new friends, art, and stepping outside your comfort zone.

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Hardcover
$18.99

Kirkus Reviews

Adorable but unlikely to hold children’s attention on rereads.

Publishers Weekly

Funk introduces a pair of unknowingly interspecies pen pals in this comic companion to Dear Dragon. Pale-skinned Connie is a human with purple-tipped pigtails; bright pink Nic is a unicorn with a fluffy purple mane. The assignment's exchanges of art and letters reveal Connie to be a detail-oriented artist who vents about nearly everything. Nic, on the other hand, sticks with cheery graphics and remains unfailingly upbeat (about Connie's team losing a soccer championship: "Wow! You made the championship! And almost won?"). The two eventually bond, and when they finally meet, each one's surprise at the other's form is quickly supplanted by the joy of collaboration. Digital artwork by Santoso works myriad similarities into stylistically different worlds as the creators show with a light touch two seemingly different individuals learning a relationship's give-and-take. Human characters are shown with various skin tones. Ages 4-8. (Sept.)

Copyright 2023 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.
Josh Funk
Josh Funk is the co-creator of the Lady Pancake & Sir French Toast series, including Lady Pancake and Sir French Toast, The Case of the Stinky Stench, Mission Defrostable, Short & Sweet, and The Great Caper Caper. His other works include, How to Code a Sandcastle, Lost in the Library, Albie Newton, and more. Josh lives in Massachusetts and invites you to learn more about him by visiting joshfunkbooks.com.

Brendan Kearney is the co-creator of the Lady Pancake & Sir French Toast series, including Lady Pancake and Sir French Toast, The Case of the Stinky Stench, Mission Defrostable, Short & Sweet, and The Great Caper Caper. Brendan also is the author-illustrator of Forest, The Night the Moon Went Missing, and Fish. He currently lives in the UK with his family and invites you to learn more about him by visiting brendandraws.com.
Classification
Fiction
ISBN-13
9780593206942
Lexile Measure
460
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
Viking Books for Young Readers
Publication date
September 20, 2023
Series
-
BISAC categories
JUV039060 - Juvenile Fiction | Social Themes | Friendship
JUV003000 - Juvenile Fiction | Art & Architecture
JUV002270 - Juvenile Fiction | Animals | Dragons, Unicorns & Mythical
Library of Congress categories
-

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