Simpson continues to develop her characters and add to their number, introducing loads of delightful creatures — both human and supernatural — and putting them into situations where there's lots of opportunity for comedy: playing D&D, Christmas morning, New Year's resolutions, journaling, getting a cold, dealing with bullies and mean girls, and a long, eminently satisfying, awfully funny summer music camp sequence.
As with previous volumes (Phoebe and Her Unicorn, Unicorn on a Roll, and Unicorn vs Goblins), Simpson easily straddles the line between kid and adult humor — another way in which these books recall the heyday of Calvin and Hobbes — and as I read this to my daughter over a series of bedtimes, we both laughed aloud many times.
These books seriously pass both the kid-test and the kid/parent test. After I started reading the book to my daughter, she snuck off and finished it on her own, then insisted that I continue reading it to her for a second read. I was relieved, because I didn't want to stop reading it. And when we finished it last night, my daughter said, "Write to Dana and ask her when the next one is coming out!"
Razzle Dazzle Unicorn: Another Phoebe and Her Unicorn Adventure [Dana Simpson/Andrews McMeel Publishing]
