only to find that this unicorn may have some redeeming qualities after all. Disappointed with her purchase, Lucy decides to send Sparkle back. Her visions of a dazzling creature with blue hair and a pink mane and tail, one who loves wearing a necklace of flowers and who will make a good impression at show-and-tell, prove less than prophetic however, as the real Sparkles turns out to be a runty little thing with brown spots, who has long ears, smells funny, and isn't particularly cooperative in doing unicorn-like things. She lives in Spring Lake, Michigan, with her husband.Excited at the prospect of getting her very own unicorn - and for the bargain price of twenty-five cents! - Lucy imagines what Sparkle (for so she plans to name her new friend) will be like. Since then, she has written and illustrated many picture books. Her first picture book, which she wrote and illustrated, was Belinda the Ballerina. Publishers WeeklyĪbout The Author Amy Young was born in Boston, Massachusetts, and though she trained and practiced as a lawyer, she has always wanted to be an artist. Her message to readers is clear: self-awareness and finding a soul mate don't always come easily. 'She had to admit: sometimes he made her smile and sometimes he made her laugh,' writes Young ( Don't Eat the Baby!), whose storytelling and watercolor cartooning are spot-on in their comic timing. And Young hits all the visual beats, creating something likable and appealing.A tale about coming to love someone-or something-for who they are and not what one hopes them to be: a pleasant addition to the odd-couple shelf.

The pencil, pen, and watercolor illustrations, done in a simple, loose style, offer expressive, playful character poses. Lucy isn't pleased, but in the end she warms up to Sparkle and realizes that even though he wasn't exactly the unicorn she wanted, he might be just the one she needs. But when Sparkle arrives, his ears are too long, his horn is too short, he smells funny-and oh, he has fleas. She imagines the flowers that she'll braid into his beautiful pink mane, and she even picks the perfect name for him: Sparkle. Full color.īook Synopsis When Lucy sees an ad in the newspaper for a unicorn, she sends in her twenty-five cents and waits four to six long weeks for her very own unicorn to arrive.

About the Book An unabridged board book edition of Young's hilariously cheeky, yet also heartfelt, picture book about a little girl who desperately wants a beautiful unicorn as a pet, but winds up with a less-than-desirable one instead.

Amy young a unicorn named sparkle