Tuesday, February 26, 2019

Review: Sophie Johnson, Unicorn Expert by Morag Hood


SOPHIE JOHNSON, 
UNICORN EXPERT
by Morag Hood
Illustrated by Ella Okstad
Aladdin
Picture Book
32 pages
ages 4 to 8



Meet the master of magical creatures: Sophie Johnson! She’s an expert on unicorns…or so she thinks!

Sophie is a unicorn expert. She dresses up her toys, stuffed animals, and even her baby brother as unicorns! But living with enchanted animals can be tricky business. And Sophie is so caught up in teaching others that she fails to notice the magic right under her nose.

This funny and fresh picture book tells the story of a unicorn hiding in plain sight and a little girl who is totally oblivious to his presence!
 



MY TIDBITS

With a quirky girl, tons of imagination and piles of humor, this is a cute read which is sure to cause giggles too.

Sophie Johnson is a self-declared unicorn expert. Her room is packed full of them, and she spends most of her time caring for them. She teaches them to hunt. She fixes their horns. She even discusses magic with them. When a real unicorn decides to join in, it should be the best day of her life. Except there is a problem. Sophie might be a unicorn expert, but she can't see them.

With a sparkly cover and lots of unicorn bliss, the cover already draws in. Sophie herself is quite the handful. She's a bit bossy, ready to proclaim every bit of knowledge she does and does not have, and lets imagination flow to the extreme. She's exactly the type of mess kids will find fun and silly, but also recognize Sophie's mistakes (even when she doesn't). The unicorn's appearance and Sophie's inability to recognize he's even there, bring even more humor along.

The illustrations are colorful and full of as much fun as the text itself. It's the illustrations which let the unicorn's role happen and shine. The illustrations are done in a frivolous, shift-with-the-wind fashion, which completely fits Sophie's attitude.

This is a cute book, which makes a very easy read for even younger listeners and is sure to harvest more than a couple of snickers and giggles along the way.


And here they are...

The Author...
Morag Hood is an author and illustrator who lives in Edinburgh with her husband, Snorri. After working backstage in theaters for a few years she went back to school to study children’s book illustration and has been making picture books ever since.

The Illustrator...
Ella Okstad loves to draw ghosts, vampires, humans, cats, and all sorts of creatures. She lives and works as an illustrator in Trondheim, Norway. When she’s not in her office creating scary, cute, or peculiar creatures for books, she enjoys spending time with her husband, three boys, and a cat. Visit her at Okstad.com.




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