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Invasion of the Unicorns

(Hardback)


Publishing Details

Full Title:

Invasion of the Unicorns

Contributors:

By (Author) David Biedrzycki

ISBN:

9781623542726

Publisher:

Charlesbridge Publishing,U.S.

Imprint:

Charlesbridge Publishing,U.S.

Publication Date:

18th January 2022

UK Publication Date:

19th October 2021

Country:

United States

Classifications

Readership:

Children

Fiction/Non-fiction:

Fiction

Dewey:

813.6

Physical Properties

Physical Format:

Hardback

Number of Pages:

40

Dimensions:

Width 229mm, Height 279mm

Description

He's just a cute little unicorn who wants to take over the world. Special Agent Bubble07 is undercover on planet Earth. His mission- to decide whether his team of alien unicorns should invade Earth. Posing as a stuffed animal, he infiltrates the home of Earthling Daughter, where he puts up with dog slobber, tea parties, and show and tell. Will the unicorn blow his cover and call for backup Or will his alien heart be won over by storytime, snow days, and snuggles

Reviews

When an alien unicorn descends to Earth, its mission morphs from embedded surveillance of an Earth family to just plain fun.
Bubble07s log entries, addressed Dear Fearless Leader, comprise the narration. You were right. We look exactly like the toy animals here. Should the unicorn army invade Earth To find out, Bubble07 wriggles into an arcades glass box full of plushy prizes and gets hooked by a dad for his daughter. (Dad and daughter present Black; mom, seen later, is a woman of color.) About Earthling Daughter, Bubble07 reports: She loves her toys. She loves them to pieces! Some are missing their eyeballs. Is this going to happen to me Biedrzyckis expert illustrations form a hilarious counterpoint to the aliens clueless reportage. They begin in grayscale, accented by Bubble07s otherworldly streams of neon-hued sparkles, as the spy experiences family camping and show and share at school. The jealous family sheepdog tries to bury Bubble07 in the backyard, but revenge is sweet: At night, discovering amazing peanut butter cookies, the spy leaves the empty bag next to the sleeping dog. Fearless LeaderI must get this cookie recipe for our planet. By Day 50, a snow day, full-color spreads depict the unicorn integrating into family life, experiencing Earthling Daughters birthday, cuddly bedtime stories, and a sick day as stand-in comfort animal. On the home planet, Bubble07s final report recommends: forget the invasion and send more of us to Earth for / a Unicorn Vacation!
Simply delightful (with a wry final twist).
Kirkus Reviews, starred review

Tasked with determining if Earth is ripe for invasion by the unicorn army, Secret Agent Bubble07, looking exactly like a toy stuffed unicorn, infiltrates an arcade claw machine and is soon brought home by a clueless Earthling child. Humans are a confusing bunch, Bubble07 reports to the unicorns Fearless Leader, letting dirty furry animals into their home, riding on a yellow transport with other noisy Earthlings, and sitting around a fire eating something called Sa-morrs. By day 32, the agent is ready to call in a rescuebut wait: then theres snow, and cake, and bedtime stories, and hugs, and maybe Earth isnt so bad after all. This is a playful little tale with a touch of ironic humor, and Bubble07s dutiful reporting makes a amusing contrast to the visual details. The illustrations are compellingly structured, as the book begins in mostly black and white, echoing a mixture of Brian Selznicks graceful shading with Dan Santats goofy cartooning, and then carefully moves into a world of color with unicorn pastels and cheerful pops of brightness. While some human figures are stiff and awkward, the stubby-legged, slightly poofy unicorn and their brown-skinned Earthling child make an adorable pair. This is clever in its sweetness, and sharp-eyed viewers will enjoy catching the occasionally appearing llama who mischievously eyes the audience throughout the book, perhaps on a mission of reconnaissance as well.
The Bulletin

In author-illustrator David Biedrzyckis hilarious new picture book, secret agent Bubble07 is an alien who happens to look like a plush unicorn and has been tasked with a challenging mission: to infiltrate a human Earthling family and determine if the unicorn army should invade Earth.

Bubble07 is beamed down into a video arcade, where a lucky dad snags it in the claw machine. In a series of interplanetary dispatches, the absurdly adorable unicorn agent files reports on daily life with its new familyan existence made somewhat more difficult by the familys very huge, very hairy dog, whom Bubble07 suspects might be onto me. As time passes, Bubble07 relays many Earthling customs and delicacies that could improve life on the home planet, such as celebrating birthdays, telling bedtime stories and, above all, eating peanut butter cookies.

Bubble07s primary Earth contact is the familys daughter, who hosts tea parties, brings the unicorn to school for show and tell, takes swimming lessons (Alert to home planet: Unicorns dont float.) and gives the agent lots of loving snuggles. After 100 days, Bubble07 has gathered enough clandestine intelligence to make a final recommendation to its fearless leader as to the suitability of Earth for unicorns.

Thanks to the books large-format design, inventive text and a final twist in the endpapers, Invasion of the Unicorns succeeds on every level. Biedrzycki has crafted a read-aloud that will delight children, and its wry humor means that adults wont mind repeat reads. Bubble07 is an endearing protagonist who surveys our world with curiosity and occasional alarm that Biedrzycki always plays for a lighthearted laugh. His pencil and watercolor illustrations are soft and warm as they portray a loving family and their diverse community.

This agent can only conclude this report by declaring Invasion of the Unicorns a treat for unicorn lovers in every galaxy.
BookPage

Author Bio

David Biedrzyckiis the author and illustrator of the Breaking News series, the Ace Lacewing, Bug Detective series, and the Me and My Dragon series. He has been creating illustrations for book publishers, advertising agencies, magazines, and design firms since 1980. His art has graced the cover of KidSoft magazine, New England Aquarium billboards and children's software packaging, such as "The Amazon Trail" and "Odell Down Under."David has collaborated with children's author Jerry Pallotta on The Beetle Alphabet Book, The Boat Alphabet Book, and The Freshwater Alphabet Book. Hegrew up in Pennsylvania and now lives in Massachusetts with his wife and three children.

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