The Naughtiest Unicorn at Christmas

Pip Bird's The Naughtiest Unicorn at Christmas is a very silly festive story for 6 year olds about a girl, her greedy unicorn and a Christmas play that doesn't go to plan.

What happens

Christmas is a week away, and Mira is off to Unicorn School through the magic portal behind the bushes in the leisure-centre car park. Her UBFF (Unicorn Best Friend Forever) is Dave. He's plump, he's lazy, and he'll eat absolutely anything.

Mira has learned every single line of the class play, The Legend of the Snow Unicorn. She's desperate for the lead role, and for the Star of the Show medal that goes with it. Then the cast list goes up. Mira and Dave are the Worm and the Pebble!

Does Mira sulk? For about a minute. Then she decides they'll be the best Worm and Pebble the school has ever seen. Dave turns out to be brilliant at being a pebble, mainly because it means he can have a nap.

There's plenty going on around them. Class Red have to fetch the perfect Christmas tree from the Fearsome Forest, and the one they pick is enormous. Mira's friend Raheem has been made the narrator and can only manage a whisper. And Dave keeps eating people's scripts.

Be ready for a LOT of toilet humour. Dave farts when he's surprised, when he's happy and when everyone else is chanting. One of his poos ends up as a snowman's head. At one point a fart sets off an avalanche! Your reader will probably think it's the funniest thing ever (you may need a moment).

What's lovely underneath is Mira herself. She wants to win so badly, but she's kind to her friends when it counts. Raheem's nerves about speaking in front of everyone will ring true for any child who dreads show-and-tell.

Their friend Darcy leads the tree quest from her wheelchair and gets lots of the best lines. Her advice to Raheem is simply to turn his volume up.

It's a great one to read aloud in December, with plenty of daft voices to do.

What to read next

For the very beginning, go back to the first Naughtiest Unicorn book, where Mira arrives at Unicorn School dreaming of a sparkly unicorn and gets Dave instead.