Valerio the dragon and Allegra the unicorn have always lived happily amid the majestic trees of the Ardet Forest, and in harmony with the animals that call the forest home. But one day Valerio discovers King Orlando cutting down trees to build a shelter. Only the king's young daughter, Arianna, seems sympathetic to the animals who are losing their homes. But can she save them all before it is too late?

The Dragon and the Unicorn is a fun fantasy story that also tells a morality tale about caring for the environment. Valerio the dragon and Allegra the unicorn are best friends who live in a beautiful, pristine forest over which they keep watch. But one day, humans arrive. They begin cutting down the ancient trees to build a castle for their king, leaving Valerio and Allegra sad and worried for all their forest friends. Then the king’s knights come into the forest and nearly trap Allegra, who they believe has magic in her horn. With Valerio’s help, she escapes and they hide. Allegra is wise, though, and knows that the humans are afraid of them and the mysteries of the forest, so she takes a chance on befriending the young princess, showing her all the wondrous and magical things there are amongst the trees and teaching her how important it is to care for all of them.

I’ve always loved animals and nature, including mythological beasts like dragons and unicorns, so The Dragon and the Unicorn was a truly enchanting tale for me, as I imagine it would be for most children as well. I love that it gently teaches children about caring for the plants and animals around us and about the magic that can be found in all of nature. I also appreciated the diversity represented in the story by having a Black royal family. Valerio and Allegra are gentle creatures who watch over the other inhabitants of the forest. The young princess Arianna is kind and caring, while her father, King Orlando, is simply frightened and misguided. The illustrations are stunning and rich in details with intricate vine-like borders around the pages that make the reader feel like they really are in a forest. I could’ve spent a great deal of time just perusing all of the pictures. This is a truly beautiful book that would make a great addition to any child’s library and which has found a spot on my own keeper shelf. This was my first read by Lynne Cherry, but I now very much look forward to checking out her other works. ( )

This ecological fairy tale is a fantastic book and lovely addition to my fantasy collection. The book centers around Valerio the dragon and the Allegra the unicorn who live happily in the peaceful forest until a king and queen come and begin destroying the forest to build their castle. The dragon and unicorn befriend the human daughter, who convinces her father to cease the destruction and cherish the forest and its magic. The best thing about this books are detailed, extensive illustrations. They take up all pages, and hide clues and other information about the story. They truly capture the beauty of the forest. The language is easy to follow, with no particularly difficult vocabulary. The text is written in paragraphs adjacent to the most detailed illustration. Another wonderful feature of this book is the interracial queen and king coupls and their biracial daughter. This is a wonderful thing for a multitude of reasons including the fact that students who are african American or have interracial parents can see themselves and their families in this book. I would absolutely recommend this book because of all this. ( )

An ecological fairy tale? What will this woman come up with next? This was a very well told story and the lesson was rather simple to pick out, don't you agree? All well constructed and very interesting. Good book. And the illustrations? Perfection, plain and simple. ( )

The gentle dragon Valerio and the wise unicorn Allegra live in friendship and harmony with one another, and with all of the creatures of Ardet Forest, in this ecological fairy-tale from Lynne Cherry, an author/illustrator who has explored similar themes in such titles as The Great Kapok Tree: A Tale of the Amazon Rain Forest and A River Ran Wild: An Environmental History. When the expansionist King Orlando finds his way into their peaceful world, however, the forest soon becomes an unsafe place for all those who call it home. Can Allegra and Valerio alter the course of events by convincing the king's daughter, Princess Arianna, that the forest is worth preserving...?

One of our April selections, over in The Picture-Book Club to which I belong, where our theme this month is "mystical/magical creatures," The Dragon and the Unicorn was clearly selected because of its titular characters. The story is sweet, although a little too wordy, and self-consciously didactic for my taste. I agree with its message, but found the delivery of that message rather awkward and heavy-handed. The artwork, on the other hand, was lovely! I really appreciated the fact that Orlando and Arianna were African in appearance - it's nice to see a fantasy picture-book featuring non-European characters! - and thought the overall effect of the larger paintings was beautiful. The decorative borders, around the paintings, and the smaller inset illustrations, within the borders, were also lovely. ( )