This was one of those beautiful books that I came across and fell in love with. There is history, there is fable and fantasy all combined in a book that is light enough to read while educational to an extent.

"The Truth About Unicorns" first takes you into a world where the history of this fabulous beast started then enters into what may have inspired it and the inspiration that it provided to many others. From there you get to see what led man to stick with it and then to slowly in the end when the world lost its innocence to forsake it.

The artwork within the book is beautiful even in its non-color format while holding a realism to it little seen. Furthermore these illustrations are combined with actual artifact pictures and a beautiful centerpiece of the famous Unicorn Hunt Tapestries.

For anyone interested in fantasy and unicorns I would recommend this as a beginning read for it will stay with you.... ( )

Book: The Truth About Unicorns
Author: James Cross Giblin
Characters: None
Setting: N/A
Theme: Mythology
Genre: Fantasy and Realistic
Audience: Ages 10 +
Curriculum: Can be used to discuss fantasy and use of folklore in relevance to historical events.
Summary: Giblin discusses the origins and historical lore of the unicorn. He also provides some stories for why unicorns have become so popular among so many cultures in various countries.
Personal Response: Cute book with pictures that offer some reason as to where the the stories of unicorns came from and some of the reasons why they are so special. I enjoyed reading the cultural history behind the lore. There are also some great pictures of how the images of unicorns changed over time as the stories were developed around the world. The author did his research and offers it at the back of the book with recommendations for young readers to check out. ( )

A interesting story about how the unicorn came into being. Such wonderful combinations of animals! It really makes you think that unicorns may actually exist. This would be a great book for a creative writing class when students need to come up with their own creature. ( )

The Truth About Unicorns by James Cross Giblin, presents a historical account of what different civilizations have believed about the unicorn. The reader can learn about the supernatural animal. According to legend, the unicorn is credited with a gentle and noble spirit that may only be tamed by a virgin’s magical power. Unlike the dragon that is usually tamed by the adventurous young male or killed by the experienced warrior, the unicorn is tamed by a virgin young woman. I found it interesting how manufacturers of children’s toys market dragons for boys, and then market unicorns for girls. The dragons are strong, intelligent, and deadly while the unicorns are gentle, noble, and beautiful.
The book is interesting in that although the modern world does no longer believe in the existence of this animal, there are historical accounts of unicorns throughout history in the form or art and folklore. The author takes a historic view of the records in different parts of the world and also includes drawings of unicorns throughout history.
However one of the weaknesses in the book is that it does not read like a narrative, but rather a compilation of historical documentation of the unicorn throughout world history. I found the information is too disjointed to be of interest to many young readers; for example, the book concludes with information about prehistoric one horned animals. I thought the argument of prehistoric evolution was a bit abstract for young children who are interested in unicorns. In addition, even though the prehistoric information may be relevant, it is not as if the information may be used to write a research paper on the existence for unicorns. Consequently, the author is unable to capture the aura that makes the unicorn interesting to young children nor the historical documentation that may be used to support a research paper.
Ages: 4th- 8th ( )

Gives an overview of beliefs about unicorns in various countries at different times. An asset for someone interested in unicorns, not exciting for someone who isn't. ( )