Kitty thinks she might be a unicorn: in fact she is quite certain. A pointy horn sits on her head, she has a swishy tail, and she uses a legs to skip and dance. The trouble is, Kitty seems unable to convince anybody else and she is told over and over that she is a kitten. Then a real unicorn grabs everyone’s attention and Kitty is about to give up when the unicorn talks to her.
Unicorn admires Kitty’s fuzzy ears. In fact, Unicorn is a Kitty-Corn, just like kitty. Although the two have difference, they also have similarities, and these help them to bond as new friends. The pair play together and Kitty is no longer self-conscious.
This is a funny and warm story that will go down a treat with readers who like all things cute.
The theme reminds us not to judge others on their surface and that we might have more in common with someone than we think. It also encourages readers to be proud of who they are inside and not to take negative reactions from others to heart. It would be a lovely story to read with younger children to promote and build self-confidence. It is also a lovely story about friendship and finding things in common with new friends.
The cuteness levels are not made too sugary which might be a plus to some readers. White page backgrounds are contrasted with pink, fluffy Kitty and her lovely rainbow horn. Kitty and Unicorn’s names are written in special pink and purple fonts which stand out from the black text. The size of the book is fantastic too: it feels taller than a standard picture-book without straying into the size of an illustrated non-fiction text. This allows the unicorn to be super tall and super swishy and it also allows for lovely spreads where Kitty and Unicorn play together across the two pages.
I love this story: it has bucket-loads of ‘aww’ factor and it will leave readers feeling positive about themselves. This can only be good stuff.
- The Itty-Bitty Kitty Corn by Shannon Hale and Leuyen Pham is available now from Abrams. RRP. £12.99 (provided for review)
