Hello everyone! You may remember when I posted an image of Unicorns in Uniforms, a picture book by Beth Ferry, to my Instagram, Threads, Twitter and Bluesky in May. In those posts, I announced that I was invited to review an advance reading copy of the book ahead of its release date by Simon & Schuster. Well, with the book’s recent release, I am happy to share my review! Be sure to get it on Amazon today! You can also check out Ferry’s website at this link! Below is the book’s synopsis:
No job is too big or too small for magical uniformed unicorns in this adorable and empowering picture book from New York Times bestselling author Beth Ferry!
We’re Unicorns in Uniforms!
We know just what to do.
We’re hoofed and horned and well-informed
And ready to help you!Come join these caring unicorns as they work, play, and save the day—because when you’re a unicorn, U can do anything if you work together!
I’m glad to have been given this opportunity after my previous review of Through the Garden Gate! But before we begin, I would like to give a heads up to some spoilers to the book. Let’s take a look at the different careers our horned friends are in, shall we?
Background
In May 2026, I received a message from Thad Whittier of Simon & Schuster, who asked me how often I think about what I’m going to wear to work. He asked me if it is a uniform or maybe business casual, and what my outfit tells others about my job. He then told me that he was reaching out to discuss a possible review, interview, or feature for Unicorns in Uniforms by Beth Ferry. According to the book’s jacket, Ferry is the author of numerous picture books for children including Roar for Reading, Prunella, and the New York Times bestseller Stick and Stone. She is an avid reader who believes that any day spent with a book is a perfect day. Beth lives with her family by the beach in New Jersey where she finds inspiration in the salty air. In addition to writing picture books, Beth also writes chapter books and graphic novels. She’s the author of the middle grade book Growing Home. You can learn more at BethFerry.com.
Also according to the book’s jacket, A. N. Kang, the book’s illustrator, started her career designing giftware, greeting cards, and holiday installations all over New York City. In 2016, She debuted as an author and illustrator with the picture book The Very Fluffy Kitty, Papillon. Since then, she has been working as a children’s book author and illustrator. Her books include My Big Bad Monster, Celebrate You! by Sherry Duskey Rinker, Squirrel’s Family Tree by Beth Ferry, and I Worked Hard on That! by Robyn Wall. You can see more of her work online at AnnaKangDesign.com.
Whittier told me that Unicorns in Uniforms is a joyful, laugh-out-loud picture book that imagines a world where unicorns wearing uniforms take on everyday jobs, from firefighters to chefs to farmers. It is a bright playful story with Ferry’s signature warmth and Kang’s hilarious and cozy drawings. Reminiscent of My Little Pony and LMNO Peas, he told me to get ready to ‘aww’ the moment I lay eyes on these very colorful and hardworking unicorns, and that it’s perfect for teaching children all about their potential and the jobs they could have one day. With a catchy rhyming text and irresistibly charming illustrations, this is a perfect read-aloud for classrooms, story times, and families alike. It offers a fresh, imaginative spin on unicorns while tapping into themes of cooperation, resilience, and finding your place in the world.
Whittier also thanked me for my consideration, and to please let him know if I’d like a finished copy or if I’d like to coordinate an interview. To receive a book review request from a major publisher such as Simon & Schuster was an honor, so I thanked Whittier for reaching out and told him that I really appreciated the opportunity to review Unicorns in Uniforms, and that I’d be happy to receive a finished copy when available. I also told him that I’d be open to including a short-written Q&A with Ferry in my post if that’s something he’d like to coordinate. Whittier thanked me for my interest and told me that he’d be happy to send me a copy my way. When I received the copy, I posted a picture of it on my Instagram, Threads, Twitter and Bluesky ahead of its release, which you can also see below.
Whittier also told me that Ferry would be thrilled to do a short Q&A, and to please feel free to send questions for the Q&A whenever they’re written and he’d pass them to Ferry. When I finally got around to reading the book, I submitted my questions to Ferry, and Whittier thanked me before he asked if there was a specific date I would like her answers back by. I told him that there’s no hard deadline on my end, so whenever Ferry had the chance to respond worked perfectly for me. And I’m happy to report that Ferry got back to me with the following answers!
Q: What inspired the idea of unicorns taking on different jobs and wearing uniforms, and how did that concept first come together?
A: I have to admit that it was alliteration that gave me the idea for this story. Unicorns are such a staple in a child’s kingdom of imagination and I was thinking about how fun it would be to have a unicorn story. The title Unicorns in Uniforms popped into my head and I was immediately smitten. I can remember my kids having a book that introduced them to all the different jobs that are recognizable by their uniforms and thought it would be fun to do something like that through the lens of unicorns.
Q: You’ve written across picture books, chapter books, and even middle grade. Does your storytelling approach change depending on the age group you’re writing for?
A: I think the challenge of writing a satisfying story is the same no matter what age you’re writing for and that’s what I’m always aiming for – to make the story satisfying. I love the freedom of writing chapter books and middle grade because you don’t need to be concerned with your word count. You can develop characters more fully and have a fun aside or two that doesn’t directly move the story forward. You can’t really do that in picture books. But I do love the challenge of writing a satisfying story in approximately 500 words. So yes, the storytelling approach is different because an economy of words is forefront when writing picture books and character development is much more important in middle grade.
Q: What do you hope children take away from the idea that “when you’re a unicorn, U can do anything if you work together”?
A: I hope this story conveys the idea that we all live independent lives while simultaneously living interconnected lives. The uniforms that define our jobs are, let’s say, the “outer layer” but underneath those very differentiating uniforms we all have the same “uniform” that connects us as a community striving for what’s best for all, especially in times of crisis. The “dragon weather” represents really any challenge that requires cooperation and empathy and understanding. Without each other, we really can’t tackle the “big” problems that need to be tackled.
Q: Was there a particular unicorn job or character that was especially fun to imagine while writing?
A: There are very specific uniforms that come immediately to mind when we think of uniforms that define a job – firefighter, doctor, police officer, so it was fun to imagine more quirky jobs. I am personally a fan of the “popper of corn” uniform and the “cleaner of seas”. I love that we have a “unicorn of the sea” in the book.
Q: How did working with illustrator A. N. Kang influence the tone, humor, or world of Unicorns in Uniforms?
A: Anna’s art is soft and beautiful. Her colors feel sweet and welcoming which is why the book feels inviting to readers. Her unicorns are similar but distinct and also very lovable which was necessary for the age range for which this book is intended. I was particularly taken with the way she drew the “dragon weather”. It felt exactly right for the youngest of readers.
But how was the book, anyway? Does it help me to appreciate the interconnectedness among all the careers of our world?
The Review
I have to say, this was a cute book that conveys its message in a really concise way. We open to an enchanted forest with a sophisticated civilization that’s kind of reminiscent of a medieval village. It’s located near “a magic grove of knolls”, and I actually had to look up the term “knoll”, which suggests that the word is a bit big for a picture book. But a knoll is a small hill or mound, which kind of checks out judging from the first spread. The unicorns live in harmony with sprites, gnomes and trolls in a “Unicorn Village”, who seem to run the village. Each of the houses in the village have clear names such as “City Hall”, “Bank” and “Post Office”, making it easy to tell the places of work that each unicorn goes to.
A. N. Kang’s cute and simple art style works really nicely for the story, with the flat colors and soft textures offering a cozy and slightly quirky atmosphere. I like the diversity of all the different jobs that the unicorns have, particularly careers that are stereotypically associated with males such as construction workers. Given the fact that the book is geared towards girls, I appreciate that Ferry also wants to show young girls that not all careers they can go into are the ones dominated by women. I also like that there are male unicorns as well (denoted by the mustaches), showing any boys who may read the book that it’s a story for them to understand as well. One of my favorite unicorns Kang shows is the hairdresser, who appears to be Black-coded. She has dreadlocks for her mane and is braiding a gnome’s beard, which is a nice little detail showing young Black girls that careers for their hair matters, too.
Of course, in an enchanted forest, many of the unicorns use their powers to help them in their jobs (they must have a great time at work actually). Curiously, a narwhal is shown cleaning the seas, which isn’t a mythical creature, but it’s still a horned one, which is probably why Ferry put it in the story. Though it does suggest that non-mythical animals also have roles to play in this village as well, even magical roles. I also like how Ferry shows the unicorns enjoying their time outside of work, showing children that adults do have lives outside of their careers. It’s something I’ll bet parents with particularly busy days at work could appreciate being acknowledged on the night they may read this book to their kids.
The book, of course, isn’t just a glorified job fair. When the alicorns warn of a threat emerging in the clouds over the village, the unicorns are mobilized to deal with the problem. And I did admittedly have to look up the term “alicorn” as well, which is a cross between a Pegasus and a unicorn. I don’t think the word “alicorn” is as big for a picture book though despite the word being longer, as I bet that the young girls that the book is being targeted to would have told me what an alicorn is. I would have liked to see actual alicorns show up, though I do like the flame-shaped creatures that appear alongside the fairies on the spread with the bell, who I assume are will-o-the-wisps.
But it’s the dragon weather that’s easily the best spread in the book. Seriously, it’s actually an incredible visual that makes especially strong use of the book’s art style. The dragon looks menacing but not frightening, and I think the negative space that makes up his body works well for tone. The unicorns charge towards the dragon weather, dressed up as none other than superheroes to show the storm that they mean business. I’m a sucker for superheroes, so at face value, I loved this scene. But then I figured that it’s a bit more abstract in showing kids how people in different careers work together to stop a crisis. If the unicorns were wearing their typical outfits at work during this scene, then the allegory might have been clearer, more closely depicting scenarios such as policeman and firefighters working together to rescue civilians from a disaster zone, for example.
But honestly, the superhero costumes work pretty great too. The unicorns using their powers to confront the dragon weather is awesome, presenting a modernized take on a dragon being slain in a fairy tale, and it is very much in the vein of what superheroes do. The ending emphasizes celebration after the end of a crisis, which is perfect optimism for a picture book allegorically. And the book emphasizing how anyone can be a unicorn is a great alternative way of saying that anyone can go into any career.
Ultimately, Unicorns in Uniforms is a cute and simple yet effective story about the different careers that are out there and how they can come together in times of crisis. It shows how the future poses endless possibilities and how beautifully mundane day-to-day life in society can be, as well as how some days can suddenly turn unexpectedly chaotic and how everyone in society plays a role in ending that chaos. I think that this book could really help kids think about what they want to be when they grow up in a way that’s more fun than a classroom job fair, especially girls who may consider opportunities that they might not have initially assumed. But it could also show kids that going into a career isn’t just about the career itself, but the broader role that career could play in society when the world really needs you. I wonder if Ferry might make a sequel about a different kind of mythical creature in different kinds of jobs dealing with a different kind of crisis. The possibilities are as endless as the careers themselves!
So, what did you think of my review? Will you be checking out Unicorns in Uniforms? I will be posting an edited version of my review of the book to my Goodreads shortly. Do you have a children’s book that is about to be released? You can send me an advance reading copy of your book (preferably electronic) for me to leave a review on or after the book’s release date in a future blog post. You can also send me the book’s cover for me to promote it on my Instagram, Threads, Twitter and Bluesky before its release date. Check the Contact page for more information. Be aware that I prefer to review middle grade, traditionally published books and books NOT created using artificial intelligence, and even then, I may not review every book I receive.
Until then, stay enlightened, educated and entertained, folks.
