The Tale of the Black Unicorn
By Sandra Elaine Scott
With social media adding to the din of school day pressure, children (especially girls) need to hear from their parents and their communities that they are loved and valued, especially if they perceive themselves as different in ways that may not make them feel good about themselves or the world around them.
In her encouraging and beautifully-rendered book, The Tale of the Black Unicorn, award-winning author and speaker and proudly bicultural advocate Sandra Elaine Scott tells the story of Reina, a beautiful Black girl who is teased at school for her glasses, her brains, and her color. As a means of encouragement, her parents tell her the story of Reina the unicorn, who started out like any other mass-marketed magical myth yet who begins to take on the colors of the world around her, eventually becoming an amalgamated and assimilated black. Even with her darker tone, however, the equine Reina is able to exude pride and to embody the human Reina’s parents’ repeated promise that “You are loved! You are beautiful! You are you!”
While this story may especially resonate with families and communities of color, any child can take encouragement from the positive values it espouses and the , self-esteem-building message it shares. Even if they do not have stables, Scott’s black unicorn can help readers feel more stable in an often less-than-magical world.
– Matt Robinson
