It's impossible not to smile while reading about the fantastical pair gallivanting through this petite early reader, perfectly sized for small hands. This charming book is divided into three short stories about the friendship between a sparkly pink unicorn and a fluffy white yeti. The first tale reveals how this unlikely duo meet; the second gently and comically tackles self-acceptance when Yeti feels too plain in Unicorn's company; and the third revolves around a magical snowball fight. Newly independent readers receive support through repeated words and phrases, as well as the spacious, graphic-novel format. The engaging characters and simple stories are made all the more amiable by Quintanilla's whimsical, candy-colored illustrations. Humor and positivity abound in this winning series starter that is a natural fit for Elephant & Piggie fans.

In this new series debut, a yeti and a unicorn bond over sparkles and snow. While flying over mountains, Unicorn spots the sparkly snow below and decides to take a closer look. Beneath, Yeti spots sparkles too—Unicorn's! The sparkles get closer and closer until—CRASH!—Unicorn collides with Yeti. Apologies pave the way for a newfound friendship, but Yeti doesn't see snow as sparkly and thinks Unicorn may be just a "tricky, sparkly horse with a horn." So Unicorn takes Yeti up into the clouds to see the sparkle Yeti couldn't see before. Two more stories follow—a grand total of three stand-alone chapters—that further delve into themes of friendship. The comic-book layout is a predictable mix of full-page panels and two to four panel spreads. Unicorn speaks in orange speech bubbles, while Yeti's are purple. This helps readers decode some fairly complex speech-bubble arrangements, such as when multiple bubbles connect during a long conversation. The (nearly) all-dialogue story is accessible, but the lack of repetitive vocabulary skews it toward more fluent readers. Quintanilla's distinct color palette mixes warm oranges with cool blues and purples, creating an expressive, inviting cartoon world. The final page includes instructions on how to draw Unicorn as well as a few simple creative prompts. Sparkly, innocent, feel-good fun for readers needing just a bit of extra support before moving on to chapter books. (Graphic early reader. 4-7)

An unlikely friendship is sparked in the first of the Unicorn and Yeti series. In the first of three tales, flying Unicorn-whose upturned snout and pinkish frame provide a look more porcine than equine-sees -something sparkly- in the snowy hills below. Yeti, who resembles a stocky, feathery snowball, also spies something sparkly-in the sky. -The sparkles are getting closer! And closer,- Yeti observes. After a Yeti-Unicorn crash landing and a sparkle debate (Unicorn insists that Yeti-s snowy environs are just as sparkly as Unicorn; Yeti is skeptical), the two become fast friends. In a second story, Yeti and Unicorn learn to accept each other just as they are (and occasionally use a bit of magic when they want to fancy up). And the third features an epic snow fight followed by rainbow-colored soup. Additional books in this whimsical, character-driven series are set to release later this year. Ages 4-6. (Apr.)