Initially attracted by the bright yellow cover with stylised animals, the fact that the renowned translator Daniel Hahn translated this picture book from Portuguese was what made me request a digital ARC from NetGalley. Roger Mello is a talented artist whose work is stunningly beautiful. I can imagine this is the sort of book that I might buy myself as a treat from a museum bookshop, for the beauty of the illustrations and as a reminder of the visit.

However, it is ostensibly a picture book about a lonely unicorn looking for others like him. However, in children’s books using this template, the unicorn would talk to each of a number of creatures, realise they are different and move on until he found another of his own kind. Either that, or he would make friends with at least one of the others and draw the conclusion that we can be friends with someone who is different from us.

This book is different. There’s no dialogue and the final outcome is left open. The unicorn finds another mythical creature, but are they friends? Travelling together briefly? This isn’t really about the words, it’s all about the illustrations. And indeed, the illustrations are superb, each one in the style of a different period or part of the world (medieval, Egyptian, African). The story, on the other hand is extremely limited and not told in child-friendly words. So who is it aimed at? Perhaps an art teacher could use it to inspire a series of lessons about world art. It might find a place in a school library, maybe. But otherwise, it’s a bit of a peculiarity. It’s definitely not for small children, unless they are child artistic prodigies.

At the end, there is a list of the art styles, including the only unfamiliar one, based on ‘woodcuts for Brazilian chapbooks’, whatever they are. The final quotation seems to be the inspiration for this collection of unicorn artwork, but it dates from 1997:

<i>"There are many ways to find a unicorn. But the simplest is just to let him find you instead. If you’ve ever seen one, you will know that ages can go by without your hearing any mention of them, and in time you might forget they exist altogether. And yet… […] Sooner or later, they always come back. As legend has it, only the pure of heart can see them. So if you want to have the experience for yourself: believe. And then they will appear to you, in books, in paintings, in quotations. Unicorns are in Shakespeare, in Lewis Carroll, and many other authors. All of a sudden, you turn a page or you go online and there they are – waiting for you.”</i>

Best book for children out there right now! The art is amazing and the story is nice and have som good life lessons in it. Thank you to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

A very brief tale of a unicorn searching for other unicorns, with each spread rendered in a different historical style—Tang dynasty murals, medieval illustrations, cave paintings, African art, surrealist art, and more. The color palette and visual cues make it more cohesive than you’d think. I’d happily have it on my own shelves or gift it to nieces and nephews, both for art and story alike. Gorgeous work.

Griso, the unicorn, is searching all over the world for someone like him.
On each spread, Griso is portrayed in a new art style, e.g. Egyptian, Chinese, African, medieval, which for me was a completely unique way to tell a story. Never red anything like this before. It's also a smart move to let young children get an early introduction to world art.

Gorgeously illustrated [the illustrations are based on the World's Art] with a lovely story about the last unicorn looking for a friend, littles [and their grownups] will love this book as it is a story they will recognize and it is an intro to different world art styles [there is a list at the end of what illustration is based on which art, plus there is a lovely note about where to look and find unicorns] that will encourage further reading and looking at art in general. This is an absolutely lovely read.

Well done!

Thank you to NetGalley, Roger Mello, Daniel Hahn - Translator and Archipelago/Elsewhere Editions for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I'm not sure who the age group for this book is. It's very short and has some nice illustrations, however, I think it's a bit much for littles to maybe 6 yrs old. Explanations and such are available at end about unicorns depicted around the world via art, but I doubt the litltes will care. As for older ages, nope. I don't really think they are going to care, unless they are unicorn collectors (both art, books, knick-knacks...). Sorry.

This book is an interesting mesh between a simple, straightforward story and beautifully varied illustration. It could lend itself to being an easy enough read to younger children, and at the same time a great introduction to different art styles and symbolisms across (global, and not merely European) history.

What little story is in this book exists only as an excuse for the pictures, but what pictures! Mello takes us on a worldwide journey of art history in just a few gloriously illustrated pages.

Recommended to those looking for a picture book full of sublime images.

Received via NetGalley.

The beautiful unicorn Griso is lonely, and travels the world looking for another like him. He asks every creature he encounters if they have seen any other unicorns, but sadly, none have. He does, finally, find another, also looking for companionship, leaving one hoping the two have wonderful adventures and peaceful moments together.

Griso's story is full of yearning and adventure, and leaves one with hope for what might come next. Griso's travels are rendered in a variety of artistic styles, spanning different centuries and art movements. The colours and images are bold, and a great introduction to these different styles for young readers.

Thank you to Netgalley and to Archipelago for this ARC in exchange for my review.

What an awesome way to showcase the world's art history! Each page was visually interesting, but the story itself was very simple and ended abruptly.

A gender neutral unicorn book! I am so happy for this, because my 7 year old son likes unicorns but gets self-conscious that they're for girls. Univorns are for everyone and the mythology of unicorns has been shared for hundreds of years. The illustrations were so detailed and really captured the history of unicorn drawings from medieval times. The best part was the author's note telling about the history of unicorn mythology and illustrations, and how these images connect to different times in history and different artists.

A unicorn wanders his way through scenes done in art styles from different periods, trying to find others like him.

The strength of this book is certainly the art, and I'd be interested to see it physically to get the full effect. I can imagine it being a good resource for teachers. I did find the text repetitive, and it didn't propel the story/plot: I was mainly excited to see the images on the next page.

A simplified retelling of the last unicorn tale. The illustrator notes a variety of influences for the varying styles of the illustrations, and the text is familiar—presumably inspired by Beagle’s 1968 fantasy novel (&/or the animated film from the 80’s). The story is very minimal, however, and doesn’t get into the human-animal transformation part of the original fantasy. The illustrations are undeniably compelling, even in the wonky digital advance copy, so I have no doubt it would be lovely and captivating in a hardcover edition. I found the text less compelling, and it seemed unbalanced to give such thorough notes on the inspiration for the images without also noting the origin of the story.

Griso is a unicorn on a journey to find another unicorn just like him. He asks many different creatures but none have seen any.

This story is a simple one but the magic is in the illustrations. Each page is done in a different style, influenced by a different period of art, from 7th century Germanic art and 18th century Indian painting to 12th century European medieval illustrations and pre-historical cave painting. This is a book to treasure, that you will keep going back to.

Griso is a charming story of a unicorn on the search for other unicorns, just like him! I absolutely loved the varying art styles depicting historical references to unicorns in ancient art. I can't quite pinpoint why or how, but the whole book evoked a feeling of nostalgia for me. This felt like a book one of my elementary teachers would have had in her room in the 90's that I would have gone back to time and again.

The art in this book is fantastic. I read a digital copy, but I can imagine pouring over a beautiful hardback print edition. The story is not necessarily new and exciting, but it is simple and enjoyable. It's mainly a vehicle for the beautiful art, but I think that's okay! I would have really liked this book when I was in my unicorn phase as a child.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a digital ARC of this book.

This review is also on my Goodreads.

Spanning across cultures and centuries, Griso looks for someone like them.
The artwork in this book is second to none.
The idea of a unicorn looking for another unicorn and then, to avoid giving away the twist, finding other creatures on the way is certainly profound and relatable. The story itself felt like it ended rather abruptly and I expected to read more about Griso. Though, the point gets across and the book is full of lovely metaphors, and is a poetic and meditative piece that can be enjoyed by children and grownups alike.
I read this with my child and we had different experiences both of which were positive.
I found this book magical.
4.5 stars.

A picture book like no other, this is more of an art history book with styles from all over the world from over 3000 years. The story is about the last unicorn on earth searching for another.

The story was fine but the artwork is the big hit for me.

Griso is the last remaining unicorn; he’s lonely and wants to find a friend

This short “ picture book “ takes the reader on a short journey of art history from over 3000 years dating back to Ancient Greece and Persia and from across the globe- from South America, China, Africa and Europe exploring the imagery of the legendary unicorn as Griso tries to find a pal.

This is a bit of a curio…as someone who works in primary education then this is an invaluable resource to explore art history and different methods of design, mark making and painting.

As a story it is brief but if you have a young one with a love or fascination of unicorns then this might be a different type of book for them

Art and literature collide in this vibrant exploration of art throughout the ages. What a fun introduction different artistic styles from different regions and eras.