First Day of Unicorn School

Written by Jess Hernandez
Illustrated by Mariano Epelbaum
Published 2021

This is the first 2021 published book I’ve read. New year, new books!

When it came time to decide what to do with the Christmas gift card the answer was, “I want the rainbow book.” It took time to figure it out, and was only solved when PB Debut Troupe 21 showed up in my twitter scroll. “That one, that rainbow book!”

And so, hilariously, The First Day of Unicorn School was ordered not for the unicorn’s sake but for the rainbow’s.

Milly is excited about attending Unicorn School. She’s the best and brightest – perfect for the school… except for one teeny-weeny thing. She’s not actually a unicorn.
Milly faces her worries and goes anyway. When at first it seems like she’s not going to fit in, she takes another look and it turns out she does. More than she could have imagined.

This was a cute story with a fun twist (which I think is best unspoiled). The best part about the twist was that the first reading was followed by an immediate second and then third reading to see if the kids could find all the clues leading up to it.

The art is bright and cheerful with a delightful whimsical humor to it. Every character is full of expression.

A laugh out loud read for boys and girls 3-6(+). It’s also short enough that there are definitely 2 year olds who would enjoy it as well.