Unicorn of Many Hats

DANA SIMPSON

PREVIEW

Age Range: 7 to 12

Lexile Measure: 470 (What’s this?)

Series: Phoebe and Her Unicorn (Book 7)

Pages: 176

Type: Comics Collection

Publication Date: March 20, 2018

ISBN: 9781449489663

About The Book

Marigold Heavenly Nostrils is no ordinary unicorn. She has Wi-Fi-enabled appendages. She’s the most enchanted babysitter of all time. She’s published numerous scholarly articles on the “shimmering” versus “glimmering” debate. She is, in short, a unicorn of many hats.

Phoebe and her exceptional hooved pal are back in this all-new collection of comics! Laugh alongside the lovable duo as they question the idea of “coolness,” gain a deeper appreciation for the power of friendship, and put off summer reading assignments for as long as physically possible.

“A pink, bubble-gum bonbon of a tale spun of a likable, albeit self-centered, fourth-grader and her magical, self-obsessed, although sometimes-kind, unicorn.”

— Kirkus Reviews

About The Author

Dana Claire Simpson grew up in Gig Harbor, Washington, drawing the entire time. She eventually graduated from The Evergreen State College, despite having spent all her time drawing, and not always for credit. From 1998 to 2008, she drew the internet comic strip Ozy and Millie. After winning the Amazon-sponsored Comic Strip Superstar Contest in 2009, Andrews McMeel Syndication signed her to a development deal for Heavenly Nostrils, which was later renamed Phoebe and Her Unicorn.

She currently lives in Santa Barbara, California, with her tech genius spouse and her fairly stupid cat.

Teaching Guides

More Teaching Guides

Phoebe and Her Unicorn

Grade Levels: 3-7
Curriculum Connections: Language Arts

Students will read Phoebe and Her Unicorn and then will make some magic of their own through writing exercises and vocabulary-building activities.

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Unicorns on a Roll: Another Phoebe and Her Unicorn Adventure

Grade Levels: 3-5
Curriculum Connections: Language Arts

Students read Unicorn on a Roll and make notes about their personal reactions to and connections with the text. In small groups, students discuss the book and their notes and questions about it. Working together, groups write a complex, text-based question about the book, and then answer each other’s questions using text evidence.

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Activities

More Activities

Phoebe and Her Unicorn: Teaching Guide

This guide pairs with any Phoebe and Her Unicorn book and includes:

• a variety of lessons

• clear instructions

• corresponding activity sheets

• extended reading and writing prompts

…making teaching a zap! Trotting through the pages with Phoebe and Marigold, students will build vocabulary, analyze text and characters, hone essay writing skills, and engage in creative writing, classroom discussions, and group and individual projects.

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Create Your Own Cartoon Strip with Phoebe and Her Unicorn

Phoebe and Her Unicorn is a beloved and bestselling series about finding friendship in the most unlikely places. Middle-grade readers will follow Phoebe, a somewhat awkward girl, as she forges a powerful bond with a vainglorious unicorn who shows her just how special she really is (after getting over the whole hit-in-the-face-with-a-rock thing, that is). This free printable create-a-comic activity template opens up a world of artistic possibility for middle-graders. They can create their own magical best friend and become the inventors of their own fantastical tale of friendship. As they work on this activity, encourage students to think critically about what makes their real-life friendships special.

Making friends has never been modeled so beautifully as it is in Dana Simpson’s magical series. After reading all about Phoebe and Marigold Heavenly Nostrils, readers can create their own magical BFFs in the very same illustrated comic style. Readers will join Phoebe and Marigold in discovering each other’s awesomeness, coming to appreciate their own as a result. Download this free printable create-a-comic activity and guide your students through imagining, drawing, and writing their own version of a Phoebe and Her Unicorn cartoon strip. This activity is a great creative exercise, but it also instills a deeper understanding of the importance of friendship, no matter what differences you may have.

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