Meg McLaren is an author, illustrator, and printmaker who graduated from Cambridge School of Art with a master's in Children's Book Illustration. Her first book, Life Is Magic, was shortlisted for the Waterstones Children's Book Prize. Her book The Station Mouse won the Bookbug Picture Book Prize 2020. Meg likes to work digitally and in screen print. When she's not up to her eyeballs in ink, she's usually found in front of an afternoon mystery drama. Meg lives with her better half, Jon, who makes a lot of tea, and their dog, Wilson, who makes a lot of messes.

This sprightly story centering on a fantastical creature meetup spotlights self-acceptance. With a loud voice and helpful nature, Wee Unicorn struggles with a single problem: "She wasn't what everyone expected a unicorn to be. Wee Unicorn WASN'T magic." Friendly mountain giants reassure, "Just do your own thing," but it takes repeat encounters --one frightening and one conciliatory--with a loch creature of lore for the horned heroine to embrace her own kindheartedness. As Wee follows a path toward self-discovery, McLaren weaves in classic fairy tale entities: fluttering fairies offer commentary, selkies provide conflict, and a comic side plot spins an origin story for the Loch Ness "monster"'s name. Cool-toned artwork has the appealing look of screen printing, amplifying the takeaway that belief in oneself is a beautiful thing.
--Publishers Weekly

Publisher: Charlesbridge Publishing

Pub date: 2025-01-21

Length: 32 pages