I often say that books are only old if you have read them, no matter when they were first published.  I came across one such new book recently (it has been on our shelves for quite a while, but I have only just read it, so it is new to me!) 

A young girl is found on the banks of the river and is taken in by Simon, a mean soul who gives her food and shelter but no love.  She is named Heart by the old village healer who watches over her and gives her the love a young girl needs. The tale begins as Heart finds a wounded, scared, and starving white horse in the forest.  Taking her in and nursing her back to health, Heart discovers that the horse is with foal.  Soon after the foal is born, Heart realizes that the horses are in fact Unicorns.  

The first in a series, this sets Heart off on her adventure with the horse she found and her foal, Moonsilver, as together they run from danger.

Reviewed by Antonia

There is something wrong with you if you do not laugh aloud at this book. No beginning reader books have more ingenious, subversive dissonance between words and pictures. As her parents shower her with love and gifts Constance complains, "I am locked up in an evil mansion. It's my parent house. They are terrible people-unfair and mean." Of course Constance's "only friend" is her "adorable little cat" Tiny who is in fact as big as a hippo. Together they make a run for it but are "hauled back' by "a couple of bandits" their parents hire (police officers). Nevertheless, her mean parents continue in their quest to separate the dear, sweet friends in the second book as they decide to send Constance off to "prison" (boarding school for difficult children). Once again Constance hatches a master plan to thwart the evil will of her parents and reunite with her darling little kitty by being positively perfect in every way. Witty and ironic these two books are a mischievous (and rather ungrateful) kids-eye view of her parents desperately trying to raise their daughter in a home filled with love, affection and just a wee bit of discipline. They are fantastic read-alouds for a family to bring humor and perspective into the day to day tug-o'-wars of life with children. Best of all is to have your child read this to you; we are pretty sure they will find the right tone for biggest laughs!

Reviewed by Antonia S. and Vivian L.