The Most Magical Time of the Year! (Afro Unicorn)

by April Showers (Author) Anthony Conley (Illustrator)

Reading Level: 2nd − 3rd Grade
Series: Afro Unicorn

Unicorn best friends Magical, Unique, and Divine are getting ready to welcome Santa in this Christmas picture-book adventure.

Celebrate your inner unicorn with the first holiday book in the Afro Unicorn line! Includes countdown calendar and stickers.

December is finally here, and all the unicorns in the kingdom of Afronia are excited to meet Santa. But when Santa gets lost on the way, the unicorns fear that Christmas will be ruined. It's up to Magical, Unique, and Divine to use their superpowers of love and kindness to save Christmas. Let the Christmas countdown begin in this tale of love and hope for the holidays!

When Afro Unicorn creator April Showers realized that her favorite emoji--the unicorn!--was only available in white, she was inspired to create a more inclusive brand for children of color to celebrate how magical, unique, and divine they truly are.

Don't miss the other books in the Afro Unicorn series--

A Magical Day

We Are Afro Unicorns

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Publishers Weekly

In this festive addition to the Afro Unicorn series, exuberant brown unicorns Unique, Divine, and Magical kick off December excited to both sticker their Holiday Magic Kindness Countdown calendars and to visit with Santa, who will soon arrive to pick up their holiday letters. To welcome Santa, portrayed with brown skin, to Afronia, Unique composes a "super-song," and Divine wields her "super-strength" to present the letters. Magical is soon tasked with leading Afronia's Holiday Magic Kindness Countdown--for the rest of December, the unicorns cook for friends, decorate neighbors' homes, and do all they can to be kind, acts that make "the season much more special." A lean plot accompanies Conley's wide-eyed, board-game-like character designs and Showers's exclamatory text throughout this enthusiastic holiday read focused on acts of service and togetherness. A countdown calendar and stickers are included. Ages 3-7. (Oct.)

Copyright 2023 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

School Library Journal

PreS-Gr 1--Afro Unicorn brand founder Showers has created a series of picture books about the adorable creatures, the third of which is this Christmas title. Unique, Divine, and Magical are Afro Unicorns who live in an imaginary land called Afronia. Amidst the snowy winter, the trio prepares for Santa's initial early December visit by using their special talents. Santa instructs the creatures to spread kindness throughout their Christmas Countdown and rewards them on Christmas morning with magical ornaments. Afro Unicorns have fur in varying shades of brown, with billowing curly manes and tales. Santa is also depicted with brown skin. Illustrator Conley, who has worked on many popular Nickelodeon shows, puts his animation style on display with wide shining eyes and a bright and cheery setting. The colors and beautiful array of diverse unicorns, including one with vitiligo, will certainly attract young audiences, though the story itself does not contain much content. Other questions, such as what a Triceratops is doing in Afronia, could stump curious children and their adult readers. VERDICT This book will be popular for fans of the brand and other unicorn aficionados. Purchase for collections with room for more character books.--Clara Hendricks

Copyright 2023 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Review quotes



April Showers
April Showers is the founder and CEO of Afro Unicorn, a brand designed to remind women and children of color how unique, divine and magical they truly are. Multiple business owner and single mother of two, April started a movement of like-minded Black Unicorns through apparel and accessories in May 2019. In May 2022, she launched in Walmart as the first Black woman & first Black licensed brand in Party Supplies for a major retailer. The Afro Unicorn brand is now featured in stores nationwide with children's apparel, drink-ware, toys, and holiday merch. April's passion is to teach others how to develop their brands--with a goal to help everyone win.

Anthony Conley specializes in digital painting, creating character art and illustration for consumer products. After working for Neopets and Nickelodeon, he is now a full-time freelance artist. He lives in Paris with his wife and daughter. Visit Anthony at anthonyconleyart.com.
Classification
Fiction
ISBN-13
9780593704127
Lexile Measure
-
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
Random House Books for Young Readers
Publication date
October 10, 2023
Series
Afro Unicorn
BISAC categories
JUV002270 - Juvenile Fiction | Animals | Dragons, Unicorns & Mythical
JUV017010 - Juvenile Fiction | Holidays & Celebrations | Christmas & Advent
JUV074000 - Juvenile Fiction | Diversity & Multicultural
Library of Congress categories
Picture books
Magic
Unicorns
Christmas

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