We checked this book out from our local library.
Sam and Alex reviewed this book!
Unicorns are great, right? Everything about them is sparkly and awesome. At least, that’s how it seems. It turns out unicorns can have bad days, too, as we learn in Jessika von Innerebner’s It’s Not All Rainbows, her first book about Kevin the Unicorn.
Kevin lives in a magical, glittery world full of unicorns where everything is presumably awesome all the time. Every poster in town talks about smiling and having a great day. Even the soda shack has a sign saying: “No smile, no service.” But what do you do if you don’t feel like smiling? What do you do when you don’t feel happy?
That’s what Kevin is trying to figure out in this book. His day starts out bad and gets worse and worse every page. But he tries his best to keep smiling and he tries to pretend like nothing is wrong. Even when another unicorn asks how his day is going, he says everything is great… until he just can’t take it any more.
A very public outburst leads to Kevin realizing he’s not the only unicorn who sometimes feels out of sorts. This in turn shows young readers that it’s okay to have a bad day and that you shouldn’t feel like you have to pretend to be happy when you’re not. It’s perfectly fine to have a bad day!
Von Innerebner’s cute story is joined by her equally adorable and clever illustrations. The illustrations are easily the best part of the whole story. The unicorns are awesome and the incredibly bright and colorful world which contrasts perfectly with poor Kevin’s downward emotional spiral throughout. Plus there are lots of little subtle bits of world building in the background that sometimes seem more for the adults reading the book with their kiddos.
I really enjoy Kevin the Unicorn: It’s Not All Rainbows and what I probably like the most is the conversations Alex and I have every time we read it. I love what she notices each and every time we’ve read it. And I also love how I pick out something new from the background each time, too. I think the ultimate message maybe wraps up a little to quickly at the end to be clear to every young reader. But that’s just another opportunity for parents to engage their young readers.
Plus, if you like it, there’s good news: another Kevin the Unicorn book is on the way!
Alex LOVES this Book!
Kevin the Unicorn is very funny. Alex’s favorite part is when he doesn’t get his glittery soda and his day goes from bad to really bad very quickly. There is a great two-page spread that she absolutely loves. This is what ultimately causes Kevin to breakdown and admit he has had a very bad day. Alex loves to go back and point to each little thing that happens. She understands that while it’s all funny to the reader it shows that he is having a bad day and that it’s okay to have a bad day. The message that he doesn’t need to lie about being happy is not as clear to her yet.
Title: Kevin the Unicorn: It’s Not All Rainbows
Author: Jessika von Innerebner
Release Date: October 22, 2019
Publisher: Dial Books for Young Readers
Review Spoilers: Moderate
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