The Journey of Yuan and Kian
How a land unicorn and a sea unicorn created the stars in the sky (2GETHER picture book collection)
by Marin Darmonkow
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Pub Date 19 Nov 2020 | Archive Date 16 Dec 2021
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Description
The Journey of Yuan and Kian is a whimsical children’s picture book about a land unicorn, Yuan, and a sea unicorn (or narwhal), Kian, and how they created the stars in the pitch-black sky.
Yuan’s job is to poke holes in the soil with his horn so that people can plant seeds and grow fruits and vegetables.
Kian’s job is to poke holes in the ocean with his horn so that the marine animals can get some air. When Yuan meets Kian, they form an immediate friendship and help each other dig holes faster so they can have time to play after work.
Unfortunately, the evenings are dark and they realize that no one can play after sunset. With some help from the other animals, they find a way to add light to the night sky, allowing playtime to last longer.
This children’s picture book has a touch of magic and its connection to folktales and fables will be enjoyed and admired by kids who like a meaningful story and dreaming big.
With its message of “when you believe, you are,” The Journey of Yuan and Kian definitely deserves its place on children’s bookshelves.
Advance Praise
"With this story, Marin Darmonkow has achieved the creation of a mythological fable with its eternal message of ‘When you believe, you are’."" Goodreads.com
"Marin has a great imagination and all of his books are unique treasures." - Amazon.com
"I always like these kind of children books that are not crammed with morals and lessons, but are made of pure joy, imagination and innocence."" - Librarything.com
Here is a five-star review published on REEDSY.com
The Journey of Yuan and Kian is a very creative, fun, and engrossing story about the friendship between a land unicorn and a sea unicorn and how they created stars.
Yuan is a land unicorn who works hard creating holes in the soil so people can plant vegetables and fruit. His job keeps him very busy and it’s hard for him to find time to play.
One day, after work, Yuan went to the beach and saw the water was covered in holes. Then, an animal with a horn like his emerged from the water. Yuan introduced himself and learned that animal was a sea unicorn named Kian. Like Yuan, Kian does not find time to play.
Yuan and Kian became friends right away and decided to help one another create holes so they can get time to play. Yuan also had an idea of how to add light to the night sky so the two could have more time to play after work. But, for all this to happen, they would have to learn to run (Kian), swim (Yuan) and fly (both.)
The two friends go on a journey, meet new animal friends along the way and learn “when you believe, you are.”
I really enjoyed this story. I kept reading to find out what would happen next. As I read through the story, I was curious to know what Yuan’s idea was, how they would create more light at nighttime and if they would learn to run, swim and fly.
The author used a very playful font which is great for kids. The illustrations are unique: they look to be a combination of real images combined with illustrations layered on top. On one of the pages, as Yuan and Kian are going on their journey, the authors used a puzzle like image where you trace the line from beginning to end to get to the destination, with mini images of the animals they meet along the way. I thought it was original!
This story teaches children about forming friendships through common aspirations, meeting new people (or animals), learning from others, trying new things, being curious and most importantly, believing in yourself.
Available Editions
| ISBN | 9780980974850 |
| PRICE | US$2.99 (USD) |
Available on NetGalley
Featured Reviews
L G, Educator
Yuan and Kian have a problem. As the only land unicorn and sea unicorn, they are both very busy with the essential work they do for their communities. They'd love to play when they're done for the day, but it's late and they can't see in the dark. Luckily, they have an idea for how to solve this problem, and set off to work together to solve it. They meet several new friends on their journey and wind up learning something they never imagined!
While kids will enjoy following along with this quest, the art is the real standout in this book. It's a vivid, hand-drawn style that seems to mix in some photography. It's very bright and detailed and young readers will be engaged.
This is a text-heavy book that will be best read aloud to preschool and early elementary kids. There are some predictable repetitive pattens that can be used to make the reading interactive. This could make a fun circle time read and would be a nice addition to school and classroom libraries.
Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review!
Librarian 784227
The Journey of Yuan and Kian is an adorable picture book about a unicorn and narwhal who become friends based on their shared single horns. They take turns teaching one another how to do the things they do, then decide to combine efforts to produce more sunlight by poking holes in the sky. This tale is a cute and silly way to explain the existence of stars and one all young children will love.
Dawn Michelle K, Reviewer
This is a really delightful book about making new friends, finding a path, learning to believe in oneself and one's abilities and then sharing the rewards [if you will] with those around you.
Yuan is a land Unicorn and Kian is a water Unicorn [otherwise known as a Narwhal]. They meet and become friends and lament that they cannot spend more time together because the night is so dark. So they set out on an adventure to learn how to fly so they can change that, and the results are just delightful.
Children will love this book and its beautiful illustrations; they will love the friendship of Yuan and Kian and they will also learn how important it is to work together and to also not lose sight of one's dreams, even when the going is difficult. A beautiful story and book.
Thank you to NetGalley, Marin., and BooksGoSocial for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Educator 900476
“The journey of Yuan and Kian” by Marin Darmonkow depicts determination, consideration, and harmonius teamwork. This story deeply inspires the readers to adopt the perspective that anything in the world can be attained if the hard work and teamwork is applied to the best.
Srivalli R, Reviewer
3.5 Stars
Umm… okay. The Journey of Yuan and Kian is an interesting story about a land unicorn and a sea unicorn. The two become friends and decide to play after work. But darkness descends, making it impossible. The duo plans to learn to fly so that they can poke holes in the sky for some to appear.
They go from one animal to another asking for help. Each of them directs the duo to another and takes them one step closer to the mission. They finally learn how to fly (from a stork) and poke holes in the sky, allowing the stars to appear.
The moral is to believe in yourself and persist until you achieve. The book is text-heavy, with text on one side and illustrations on the other. Adults will probably have to read it out to the kids.
Coming to the illustrations, I’m still not sure if I like them or not. Drawings have been placed on real background pictures. While it is cute, the overall result looks more like an outdated animated movie. I’m not sure how it’ll look on paper. The e-copy wasn’t exactly wow.
To sum up, the book is pretty decent and entertaining but not something I'll remember for long.
I received an ARC from NetGalley and BooksGoSocial and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Joy Z, Reviewer
I received this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
The artwork is very beautiful, it's a combine of hand- drawn watercolour mixed with some photographs. For example, the outline of the elephant is hand- drawn, but the body was filled with a photo of a real elephant's body.
Yuan and Kian befriends each other, one being an unicorn on land, one is a unicorn of the sea, they both are tasked with poking holes on land and in the water. They taught each other how to walk, and how to swim, now they want to fly to the sky and poke holes, so the lights can shine through the dark night.
Very whimsical story.
Reviewer 431600
This is an adorable book about a unicorn and narwhal as they go on a journey to make the night sky brighter ... with stars! How, you may ask? By adventuring through water and land to meet with other animals. It's a fund book to read where there's rhythm and repetition to help with children's vocabulary and reading skills. Highly recommend!
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