Here There Be Unicorns

Here There Be...

by Jane Yolen, David Wilgus (Illustrator)

A fabulous collection of unicorn stories and poems, with both medieval and modern settings, weaves the author's imaginative perspective into traditional unicorn lore about the fabled beast's healing powers and quintessential goodness.

Genres: Fantasy, Unicorns, Poetry, Short Stories, Fairy Tales, Anthologies, Fiction

128 pages, Hardcover

First published December 1, 1994

About the author

Jane Yolen was a novelist, poet, fantasist, journalist, songwriter, storyteller, folklorist, and children’s book author who wrote more than three hundred books. Her accolades include the Caldecott Medal, two Nebula Awards, the World Fantasy Award, three Mythopoeic Awards, the Kerlan Award, two Christopher Awards, and six honorary doctorate degrees from colleges and universities in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. Born and raised in New York City, the mother of three and the grandmother of six, Yolen lived in Massachusetts and St. Andrews, Scotland.

Reviews

[Tori · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not a big fan of the poetry, and sometimes I was annoyed that the stories' preceding autobiographical anecdotes about how they were written would give away parts of the plot or otherwise change the way I would read the story. But Yolen writes lovely stories and is kind of my hero so I forgive her.

I particularly love that she's friends with Bruce Coville, is a fan of Diana Wynne Jones, and mentioned both of these facts (as well as many other allusions to excellent authors and stories and origins of her stories) in her little intro thingies.

[Jimbo · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is nothing much to say about this collection of Unicorn stories from Jane Yolen. She is a master storyteller and I have yet to find a bad story in all the four or five collections I have read from her.

This one, unicorns, is NOT my cup of tea. Unicorns are boring to me, yet I learned a lot about the history of unicorns in history reading Yolen story notes and reading the stories within and I am finding that they are more interesting that my view of them in folklore.

Maybe Yolen opened my eyes to the possibility of interesting unicorns and I am thankful for that.

[Cheryl · Rating 2 out of 5]

I just can't get into Yolen or unicorns, I guess. All these different stories and poems; none did anything for me. The notes about being a writer were kinda interesting though. The art, well, pretty enough, but seemed unbaked. The style resembles that of Wesley Dennis but has not the verve or energy.

FotL Chanute.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

A delightful collection of lovely stories.

[Brittany · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love these collections, though I felt some of these stories were much better than others. And I loved most of the poems/songs.

[Leslie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great collection of short fiction and lore about unicorns that all ages will enjoy. Many of the stories are excellent read-alouds which both adults and older children would enjoy. As she often does, Jane mixes poetry with prose and writes with an other-worldly tone and striking imagination. These are beautiful, sometimes sad stories. Recommended for the creative discerning parent who wishes to build an inspirational library for their children, or the child at heart who looks for magic everywhere.

[Elaine Shipley-pope · Rating 4 out of 5]

I first read this book many many years ago when I borrowed it from the local library. To this day there are several poems that have stayed with me through out the years. I recently went on a search and found a retired library copy online. It was just how I remembered it.
Its a series of short stories and poems by Jane Yolen. They range in period and length but they all revolve around unicorns. They're great, quick reads and I've even read my daughter a few and she enjoyed looking at the artwork in the book as well.

[Shannan · Rating 3 out of 5]

To be honest, I probably would've enjoyed this more if I wasn't so determined to read it in one sitting. Even so, most of the stories were very lyrical and thought-provoking, but I only wish we could've seen more of the actual unicorns themselves, but the author seemed to want to focus more on the wonderful mysticism that surrounds unicorns.

Not all of the stories interested me, but I thought all of her poems were beautiful and really captured the magic behind the unicorns. They were far and away my favorite part of the book.

[Valissa · Rating 2 out of 5]

"For when he dreamed, as he did every night thereafter, he dreamed of the unicorn, white and golden and swift, running through the dappled trees of Paradise, with Richard running, frantically, after. And always he was too slow, too unsure, too unsteady to capture it for his own."

[Caitlín K · Rating 4 out of 5]

As is written inside the front cover, I chose this book to commemorate reading 100 books all by myself--when I was eight (and in only four months).

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

It got me hooked on unicorns.one of the stories in it painted the wrong kind of picture of a unicorn.

[Echo · Rating 3 out of 5]

I feel bad giving a book about unicorns only three stars, but I just didn't love it. It's not my favorite unicorn anthology, or my favorite book by Yolen, but it was alright.

[Beverly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent anthology with great selection of stories and poems

[Karolinde (Kari) · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story is wonderful, bonding between father and daughter, but the picutres are incredible.

[Emily (Fractured Mirror Publishing) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just because I adore unicorns and I believe I have read this book a gazillion times.