Salmieri’s artwork is fitting, with a crabbed, ethereal line work reminiscent of Peter Sís, but the story does not offer it enough range. Harmless, but if there is a parable hidden in the dragon-taco tale, it is hidden in the unlit deep, and as a measure of lunacy, bridled or unbridled, it doesn’t make the leap into the outer reaches of imagination. So when the kid throws a taco party for the dragons, it seems a weak device that the clearly labeled “totally mild” salsa comes with spicy jalapenos in the fine print, prompting the dragons to burn down the house, resulting in a barn-raising at which more tacos are served.

Second nature, after all, is for dragons to blow flames out their noses. As a pairing, they are fairly silly, and when the kicker comes in-that dragons hate spicy salsa, which ignites their inner fireworks-the silliness is sillier still. They love really big gigantic tacos and tiny little baby tacos as well.” The playing field is set: dragons, tacos. Rubin’s story starts with an incantatory edge: “Hey, kid! Did you know that dragons love tacos? They love beef tacos and chicken tacos. The perfect book for kids who love dragons and mild tacos. The story’s message of self-acceptance is perfectly suited for young readers whose creative visions don’t yet match their abilities. The book’s text is charming and understatedly witty, and the illustrations are both humorous and sweet.

Sparkle feels terrible until he realizes that what really matters is how Lucy feels-not only about the valentine Sparkle made, but about Sparkle himself. When he sees what the other children have made, his card for Lucy seems clumsy and inadequate. Eventually, Sparkle creates a valentine that he’s happy with-that is, until he accompanies Lucy to a Valentine’s Day party. He laboriously cuts out a heart with his horn and creates a message with hoofmarks, tasks that turn out to be harder than he thought. For one thing, he doesn’t know how to write-or how to use scissors. Sparkle decides to make Lucy a valentine only to find that there’s a reason that no one expects valentines from unicorns. For example, he loves her “curly black hair” (she also has brown skin), her “big laugh,” and the fact that she always makes Sparkle feel loved. Her unicorn, Sparkle, joins her, but Lucy tells him not to worry-after all, as she says, “No one expects a valentine from a unicorn.” Even though Sparkle knows Lucy is in charge of valentines, he wants to tell Lucy all the reasons that he loves her. On Valentine’s Day, Lucy gets ready to make valentines for the friends she loves.

A unicorn named sparkle