Claire and the Unicorn Happy Ever After [Hardcover]

B. G. Hennessy (Author), Susan Mitchell (Illustrator)

Book Description

Once Upon A Time, a little girl called Claire and her stuffed unicorn, Capricorn, were very fond of fairy tales. Every night Claire's father read them stories of frog princes and fairy princesses, and every night every character lived happily ever after. Then one evening, just as a story came to its close, Claire suddenly wondered: What, exactly, makes someone happy forever? It was a question to answer as she slept. So Claire hugged Capricorn, and together they drifted into a dreamland adventure....

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 3–After listening to her father read a story with a fairy-tale ending, Claire drifts off to sleep, wondering what would make someone happy forever. In her dreams, her stuffed unicorn comes to life and the two of them travel through the world of make-believe to find the answer to her question. The first creature she talks to is the Library Fairy, who requires only a good book and some peace and quiet to be happy. They also encounter a princess, a frog prince, a fairy godmother, and a wishing well. Each of the fanciful beings answers the little girls polite inquiries in a different way, and she realizes, Maybe its one of those questions that doesnt really have just one answer. When Claire wakes up the next morning, she tells her father about her philosophical findings. He praises her sensible conclusions and makes his little princess happy with a big pancake breakfast. This imaginative tale is illustrated with lush, richly hued watercolors. Each picture is filled with romantic details that mirror the whimsical flavor of the story. This pleasant, if somewhat long-winded, journey to the land of imagination will delight fairy-tale fans, who will identify with its inquisitive heroine.–Linda L. Walkins, Mount Saint Joseph Academy, Brighton, MA
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About the Author

B.G. Henessy is the author of more than thirty children's books. For many years she worked as an art director at a major children's book publisher in New York, and now she lives on Mummy Mountain in Paradise Valley, Arizona, with her husbands and sons. Visit her Web site at www.bghennessy.com

Susan Mitchell is originally from Scotland, where she studied drawing and painting at the Edinburgh College of Art. In 1993, she moved to Montreal, where now lives with her husband and son while working as a freelance commercial illustrator. (Susan has designedmore Christmas cards than Santa has whiskers.) She also illustrated Paula Deen's My First Cookbook.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers (December 20, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1416908153
• ISBN-13: 978-1416908159
• Product Dimensions: 10.4 x 10.2 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #156,991 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

B. G. Hennessy has authored over 35 children's books including the entire series of CORDUROY lift-the-flap books. With nearly four million books in print in ten languages, her writing awards and honors include two Parenting Magazine Reading Magic Awards an IRA/Children's Choice Award Book and a Best Book of the Year by the Bank Street College of Education. She recently authored CORDUROY LOST AND FOUND, a companion to Don Freeman's beloved Corduroy bear series. More information on her books can be found at www.bghennessy.com. Ms. Hennessy lives in Paradise Valley, Arizona with her family.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful book for little girls, March 14, 2007

By 

Beth (Nashville, Tunisia) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Claire and the Unicorn Happy Ever After (Hardcover)

I bought it as a gift for my 5 year old cousin, not knowing much about it and was immediately impressed with the beautiful illustrations. It may be a little too old for her but I know she'll grow into it. It has a sweet message, too: a little girl asks her dad what makes people happy, then she goes to sleep and dreams that she and her unicorn fly around and ask all sorts of fairy tale creatures the same question. She comes to the realization that different things make different people happy, which is a good message to send to kids at a young age. I'm very happy I bought this book and I know my cousin will like it. I also bought her the matching unicorn doll by Yottoy which is a very high quality doll that will make the story come to life even more for her. The two together make a great gift!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A breath of fresh air - great story for young girls obsessed with princesses, May 19, 2011

By 

J. Jones "MKJ's mom" (San Francisco, ca USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Claire and the Unicorn Happy Ever After (Hardcover)

My daughter is 3.5 and obsessed with all things princess, which we have very mixed feelings about. This book delivers such a nice message which I hope will stick with my daughter after reading it over and over and over. (message is basically we each define our own happiness) And I love how its her dad reading her stories, discussing fairy tale endings, etc. instead of the mom.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic Illustrations, Cute Story, December 1, 2008

By 

C. Falquist (Montana) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Claire and the Unicorn Happy Ever After (Hardcover)

My three year old daughter has to have similar items to her big sister, who is obsessed with unicorns. I had purchased The Midnight Unicorn for my eldest daughter last Christmas, and picked Claire and the Unicorn for my youngest.

The illustrations are whimsical, with lots of fun little subjects your young child will enjoy finding on the pages.

The story is a sweet tale of a little girl who goes on a magical adventure with her stuffed unicorn, and my daughter really enjoys it.