When You Adopt a Pugicorn

August 16, 2021
The team behind When You Adopt a Starwhal offers a rainbow-hued lesson in acceptance. Every year, in the Fairyland town of Twinkleton-Under-Beanstalk, young royals pick perfect unicorn pets at Mrs. Paws’s Haven for Magical Pets. But when Princess Ava, a Black child clad in a sparkly pink dress and red sneakers, arrives, the shop has already run out. Instead, Mrs. Paws introduces her to Pugicorn, an excitable pup “with a funny snuffly nose, a curly little tail, and a rainbow-colored horn.” Ava attempts to turn Pugicorn into the best unicorn ever; when unicorn training doesn’t incite transformation, however (“And as for leaping over rainbows? Nope. No chance” ), she attends the Unicorn Picnic without Pugicorn. But a dilemma may just make Ava miss her unique pup. Digital illustrations by Budgen present dynamic, animation-style characters against a twinkly atmosphere, complementing Rose’s simple message that encourages trying new things and accepting differences. Ages 4–8.

Princess Ava and her pet Pugicorn spend their first Christmas together ushering in magical snow and assisting Santa. The holiday season has arrived in Fairyland, and Princess Ava is preparing to celebrate her new pet Pugicorn's very first Christmas. While they have fun celebrating in the days leading up to the holiday, it seems like there will be no snow on Christmas. Thanks to a wish from Pugicorn, the town of Twinkleton-Under-Beanstalk becomes a winter wonderland. When the snow threatens to hide the village from Saint Nick, Pugicorn climbs the town's decorated tree and uses a magic rainbow beam to alert Santa, saving Christmas. Pugicorn is a cute pup, sure to delight fans of snuggly animals and sparkly unicorns. His rainbow horn and matching tail seem to have walked straight out of a toy store. Princess Ava has brown skin and dark brown hair in a puffy bun, though other than an assumed sibling, all the other characters are white. Twinkleton-Under-Beanstalk is drawn to be every bit as quaint and glittering as readers would imagine it to be. The story is sweet enough, without a lot of substance, matching the ever-present stars and rainbows on nearly every page. That said, there's no doubt of its appeal to its intended audience of preschoolers already tuned into princesses, unicorns, and puppies. A so-so marriage of Christmas, magic, royalty, and fictional animals. (Picture book. 4-6)

COPYRIGHT(2023) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. (Online Review)