After I wrote her story, I just knew that Velvet’s design must include cables. Because of how she uses her mane in the story, I decided to make a magical unicorn headband and scarf instead of one of my traditional character hats.
In a wintry meadow with snow slowly swirling about, a little unicorn looks longingly outside her cave. All she wants is to leap and catch snowflakes on her tongue.
Velvet Rainbow Rocket is a unicorn filly who is desperately shy and self-conscious about her cabled mane. Will her adventures help her learn to love them?
Velvet To The Rescue
I’ve always dreamt of being an author and I’m thrilled to share my first children’s book. Velvet’s story is the first book in the Always Be A Unicorn trilogy. It was an added bonus that my mother illustrated all three books.
In her short story, Velvet struggles with being shy and self-conscious about her cabled mane. The book is written for children five to ten years old but younger and older readers will also enjoy the story.
More than a short story, I’ve included discussion questions and a story writing prompt activities to engage your child with the story. The full knit and crochet patterns are included with four sizes ranging from toddler to large adult.
The Inspiration
When I sat down to write Velvet’s story, I had just had a butting-of-heads episode with my then 12-year-old daughter. I can’t recall the exact details but it boiled down to her not heeding my warnings, because what does mom know? I get it – it’s a coming of age thing. Sometimes, you just need to figure things out for yourself. Just like with Velvet, my daughter ended up making her own decisions and things turned out okay.
I also wanted to tackle the issue of self-confidence in the story. My own children go through being shy or quiet because they aren’t sure about themselves and so they hold back. I felt that demonstrating Velvet’s concern over her cabled mane was relatable to children who may have something about them that makes them pause before making a friend or doing an activity and encourage them that it doesn’t have to stop them from doing what they love.
Book Features
In addition to the beautifully illustrated short story, I include activities to encourage readers to further explore the story.
The first activity asks parents and readers to discuss various aspects of the story and consider them in ways that are applied to the child’s own life experiences.
The second activity asks the child to think about what would happen after the story ends. This lets the child become more invested in the story and realize that even though a book ends, the tale doesn’t need to. I recommend that you have your child act out their story using their headband and scarf as a prop or costume to illustrate the new adventures Velvet and Gus embark on.
Magical Unicorn Headband and Scarf
In addition to reading the book and doing the activities, I made the headband and scarf set to go along with it.
Yes, they are fun to wear, but they have much more potential than that.
When a child wears the headband and scarf, they can be transformed into the character! How many endless hours of imaginative play could be had re-enacting the story or making new adventures for Velvet? The possibilities are only limited by your child’s inventiveness.
Ready-To-Ship Or Make Your Own
As a knitter and crocheter myself, I appreciate that not everyone has the skill to make their own. As such, I made ready-to-ship headband and scarf sets.
Additionally, I enjoy the challenge and experience of making items myself. For this reason, I’ve created crochet and knit patterns for you to make your very own!
The finished hats and patterns are available in sizes toddler to large adult to ensure all unicorn lovers are able to enjoy this fashion statement.
If you have a little one who would love to greet Velvet, check out her books, patterns, and ready-to-ship headband and scarf sets in the shop.
Self-confidence is the first requisite to great undertakings.
Samuel Johnson
This article was featured on Guelph Local on January 1, 2020.
