If it has unicorns on/in it then I'm likely to 'need' to read it. Lol.
This is a cute little story about a donkey that wants to attend a prestigious unicorn school.

The story starts out a bit awkward... our donkey is planning to wear a party hat (and lied on their application) to school. So I can only give this 4 stars because it kind of says that lying is okay if you just want to be included. This is a bit difficult given this is a children's book and kids are unlikely to understand the overall premise here. However, the end of the book has a lovely moral about how it's best to just be inclusive and not say only one animal species can attend. We find out that many other animals lied in order to attend unicorn school.

So on one hand this is great to teach kids. It's just unfortunate that to get to the right place our donkey had to lie first. All that 'perfect' moral discussion aside; I'm willing to concede that this is very accurate to how real life often ends up unfolding. We end up telling a small lie to benefit in a larger way. This is a slippery slope and so I'd recommend pairing this story up with others about how lying is not a good thing just in case.

I loved the colourful artwork, the simplicity of the illustrations is really nice too. A short, cute story that would work as an upbeat bedtime story and would be appropriate to gift to any child.

Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.

Milly is a donkey who signs up for a school of unicorns. Only she is not.
A book with adorable drawings!

Based on the title alone, I was expecting this to be a standard story of first day of school jitters. It's actually more about imposter syndrome. Milly constantly worries that the other students will discover her secret. Her focus is so complete that she can't relax and constantly makes mistakes. So complete that she cannot see what the reader should pick up on almost immediately: that the others are also only pretending to be unicorns. I really like that the solution is what Milly keeps telling herself: that simply by virtue of the fact that she was accepted at the school she still belongs. Plus, I love that she's a donkey. We don't see a lot of donkeys in books without the focus being on stubbornness.

While Milly is overjoyed that she has been accepted to Unicorn School, she is nervous about her first day. Why you ask? Well, Milly is not exactly a unicorn; she is actually a donkey wearing a party hat as a horn. But she was able to fool the admissions counselors so the other students won’t notice right? Proudly wearing her horn, Milly makes her way to school and upon entering the school gates, she sees other “unicorns.” Feeling a little inadequate, Milly considers leaving but upon second look, it appears all their horns are crooked. Milly finally asks “Are any of you real unicorns?” Gradually, animals admit the truth and instead of feeling out of place, Milly knows she fits right in.

With a fun, playful text and bold and vibrant illustrations, First Day of Unicorn School is full of humor and heart. Kids will immediately notice that none of the animals are real unicorns and marvel and chuckle at the ingenious ways the animals tried to disguise themselves. Hernandez’s message is simple and powerful. Milly and the other animals all crave a sense of acceptance and belonging and they realize they don’t have to pretend to be unicorns–they can just be themselves. Thanks to Capstone and NetGalley for sharing an eARC. First Day of Unicorn School recently celebrated its book birthday on January 1, 2021.

I read this with my five year old daughter and we both enjoyed it. The story is easy to follow with vibrant illustrations that kept her attention. She loved all of the characters and was laughing throughout the story. I would recommend for any child who loves unicorns and animals.

Super cute. Super fun and a super addition to any library. Fun for back to school story time. Loved the illustrations

The story was cute. Even though there was a happy ending, I just felt like there should have been more. Where was the Unicorn Principal? If anything, there should have been a unicorn principal who may realize that other animals wished they were unicorns and decided to open the school for all. Or maybe the principal would come out and tell the students that they were chosen because they wanted to be a unicorn. There was just something missing. I'm not a story writer and I can see the children still being happy to read this book. Seeing that all animals were welcomed in the school. Just thought there should be an explanation as to why it suddenly became a school for all.

This book was granted to me from NetGalley for simple review.

I enjoyed this book - The trials and tribulations that our main character faces entering to school.

Cute story and beautiful illustrations. My daughter is unicorn obsessed and her only issue with this book was that it wasn't longer.

I read this to my 4 year old daughter during quiet time and we both loved it! I loved that it teaches children that they don’t need to change themselves to fit in. My daughter loved the colorful and funny pictures.
A super cute read encouraging kids to stay true to themselves. I’ll definitely be buying a physical copy to add to our reading library.

Thank you for a chance to read this book. All thoughts are my own.

First and foremost I need to talk about how adorable this cover is! I knew my 5 year old daughter would love it! The illustrations of this book are so well done and very sweet! This book is short but sweet and goes a great job showing everyone is different and thats okay while still being light hearted.

This was an extremely beautifully illustrated book. My child likes that it taught the message that it was ok to be nervous and anyone can fit in even if you don’t think you can. We loved reading this book and the pictures are very colorful and beautiful!

First Day of Unicorn School is a bright, cheerful picture book with an even brighter theme! Milly the donkey really wants to be a unicorn . . . but she isn't. And she's tricked her way into Unicorn School!
The pictures are adorable and the storyline captivating and yet easily understood. Everyone can relate to wanting to be something you are not, and finding out you are not alone in your desire.
Definitely a read aloud for the K-3 crowd that lends itself to not just adaptable activities, but great discussions as well.

**I received an ARC from the publisher on Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.


This was such a cute book. Colorful pictures. Adorable drawings. And a great lesson for kids.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Capstone for my copy of First Day of Unicorn School by Jess Hernandez. It publishes January 1, 2021.
I had the help of two 8-year olds and a 6 year old in the reading and reviewing of this book! This is a beautifully illustrated book with a sweet message to encourage any kid that they can fit in just by being themselves. It's better to be unique than like everyone else!
This would make a great gift for any young reader!

Thank you NetGalley and Capstone for the ARC of First Day of Unicorn School.

The First Day of Unicorn School is about Milly. She is super excited for her first day at Unicorn School. But Milly's worried, she's not actually a unicorn -- she's a donkey with a fabulous hat.

I read this book with my five year old nanny kid, she actually picked the book out herself. She loves unicorns and was really excited to read it with me. She caught on to the fact that all of the "unicorns" were a little bit different much earlier than Milly did. But, she did want one real unicorn in the story. First Day of Unicorn School gets 4 stars from a unicorn-loving 5 year old.

I thought the book was really cute and well-written. I especially liked seeing the animals' creativity and I think it would be a cool post-read project for kids to make their own horns. The 5 year old said her horn would be a beautiful flower. I would definitely recommend this book.

First of all, look at that gorgeous cover! The whole book is full of bright, fun illustrations just like the cover art. My daughter loved them, and we spent a while just looking at the pictures and talking about the animals.

So, does the content live up to the expectation set by the cover? Yes! Milly is a donkey with a party hat (NOT a Unicorn), but gets accepted to Unicorn School anyway. She's so nervous on her first day that her classmates are going to discover she's not actually a unicorn and she won't fit in, but it turns out her classmates all have a secret of their own . . . My four-year-old caught on quickly to what was happening ("Mom, she's not a unicorn!"), and had a great time pointing out all the different "unicorn horns" throughout the book.

Ultimately, it's a feel-good picture book showing kids that everyone has something they're worried about, something they fear will keep them from fitting in -- which actually means we're all more similar than we thought, and really have nothing to fear. It's about accepting ourselves and each other, and gets that message across in a totally kid-friendly, non-preachy way. I think it's fabulous!

The book is actually geared for kids in grades K-2, so I'm looking forward to reading it to my first grader, too, and seeing how well she picks up the message. I give this one five stars, and recommend it to everyone with little kids at home.

Really enjoyed this book. The story was adorable. Loved the different use of animals. My daughter really enjoyed it too. It was so positive. It made me smile. I liked that all the animals were trying to fit in and in doing so learned that it was wonderful to be different and that what we all have in common is the want to be included. Definitely a great read with a wonderful lesson.

Cute and fun story about a donkey going to unicorn school! Young readers will be entertained by the story and the illustrations. Funny and unique idea that will appeal to many. Great book!

Students will enjoy the humor in the First day of unicorn school! Beginning to read title that begs for more adventures of this unicorn and other creatures.