Little unicorn: Ten minutes to bed by Rhiannon Fielding and Chris Chatterton

Ladybird Books, 2018. ISBN: 9780241348925.
(Age: 3-6) Little unicorn: Ten minutes to bed is a beautiful series by Rhiannon Fielding and Chris Chatterton aimed at young children at bedtime. Each book follows a similar progression where the main characters parent/family member counts down the minutes to bedtime while the main character flits around doing lots of fun things before bed. The books are all based on mythical type characters and are whimsical in nature.
Each book has a map at the beginning (daytime) and end (night-time) of the book showing 'The land of Nod' which young children can engage with, finding the home of the books character and also the homes of the other two in the series (Little Mermaid and Little Monster).
Ten minutes to bed Little Unicorn follows a gorgeous little naughty unicorn who isn't tired! She is a bit cheeky, and much prefers to make trouble than go to bed. She dances, chases pixies, and follows dragons until she suddenly becomes lost. Poor little unicorn uses her magic to find a colourful rainbow and get herself home to her mother.
The text follows an easy rhyme, where the young listener can guess the last word and feel part of the reading experience, rather than just being a listener.
The illustrations in this book are gorgeous! They are whimsical and encompass some sparkles on the front cover! I would suggest that this title in the series is aimed at little girls, due to the large amount of pinks, purples and fairy tale creatures. My 5 year old daughter is totally taken by this book, enjoying the count down of minutes and following the naughty antics of Little Unicorn. It is certainly a lovely little series for children aged 3-6 years.
Lauren Fountain