The Magical Unicorn Society Official Handbook

This is a delightful book for all lovers of Unicorns and provides a guide to the different types of the mythical creatures and their history.  It is written by the President of the Magical Unicorn Society, Selwyn E. Phipps, in the guise of Jonny Leighton and gives the folklore behind the seven types of creature and the different parts of the world that they live in.  The author has created a wonderful history and geography which really allows the reader to identify with the wonderful animals.  The tale of the Silver and Gold Unicorns is really the creation myth of these creatures and sets the scene for a range of topics including Unicorn symbology, a spotter’s guide, Unicorn beliefs and Guardian Unicorns.

The book itself is a great read.  The text is aimed at the KS 2 reader, although those younger aficionados will love to read this with some possible help.  The illustrations are magnificent, with slightly different colour palettes depending on which type of Unicorn.  There has been a huge amount of thought that has gone in to the design of the book with varying page colours, wonderful jewel like colours for some of the animals and the plants and even the way the text has been integrated into the illustrations.  This is a very readable book and is also something that you can just dip into when you want to feel close to these magical animals.  The obsession that many young people (girls in particular) with the Unicorn does not look as if it is going to abate anytime in the near future.  When the book Dragonology by Dugald Steer came out it lead to a series of novels that carried on the adventures of the  main characters; I do wonder if we may see more stories about the Magical Unicorn Society in the future.  This will make a great present or a popular read in the school library.