Beatrix and the unicorn

Judge (Old Blue Is My Home) weaves magic and the ache of loneliness into a values-oriented picture book of generosity rewarded. In watercolor and colored pencil illustrations with textile-like borders, Beatrix is shown leading a hard life as a servant at a castle, where her "only glimmer of joy" is the huge unicorn tapestry in the great hall. The piece glows with shimmering threads that make the smiling unicorn appear beautiful, soft, and huggable. In need of a friend and sure that she must find the real unicorn to avoid a life of lone- liness, she steals out into the forest at night. One by one, solo animals appear, and Beatrix shows kindness to a scared bunny, a wounded dog, and more. After Beatrix falls asleep huddled beneath a tree--the animals watching anxiously--the pages flood with sunlight. As the tangled forest becomes a garden of vibrant hues, the unicorn appears, close enough to offer both a nuzzle and words of reassurance: "Brave girl. Kind girl. Sharing, caring girl. You are loved." Awakening from an apparent dream, Beatrix returns to the castle, now surrounded by real animal friends--beautiful, soft, and huggable. Readers may wish for some transformation of Beatrix's material circumstances, but the ending proffers a quieter comfort, suggesting that kindness given leads to kindness received. Human characters are portrayed with pale skin. Ages 4--8. Agent: Jennifer Laughran, Andrea Brown Literary. (Feb.)

A lonely servant finds solace in the presence of a gorgeous tapestry on a castle wall. Young Beatrix feeds the geese, scrubs the floors, and waits on nobility. Sweeping the great hall provides "her only glimmer of joy": viewing a shimmering tapestry that depicts a soft, huggable unicorn who "smile[s] at her like a friend." To escape her loneliness, she journeys into the dark forest late one night in search of the mythic creature. There, she helps a frightened rabbit, bandages a wounded dog, welcomes a kitty who's been trailing her quietly, and feeds hungry birds and beasts. Soon Beatrix falls into an exhausted slumber and meets the unicorn, whose "rumbly purr" assures her, "Brave girl. Kind girl. Sharing, caring girl. You are loved." Her sadness at awakening from her dream quickly transforms into delight as she glimpses the pup's beautiful eyes, strokes the rabbit's soft ears, and happily embraces the cat. Prolific author/illustrator Judge's golden artwork suggests medieval inspiration, the decorative border reminiscent of illuminated texts, the noblewomen wearing hennin and escoffion. Judge's tapestry recalls the Unicorn Tapestries in New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art's castle-esque Cloisters, but with a welcome adaptation--her unicorn glows with freedom and joy. That the kitty has been by Beatrix's side all along underscores an important truth: Friendship is always near. Human characters are tan-skinned. A resonating reminder that showing kindness to others--especially animals--is the greatest magic of all.(Picture book. 5-8) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.