Author Marianna Mayer and illustrator Michael Hague join forces in this original fairy-tale about the unicorn, and his role in preserving all of the animals of the world during a dangerous drought. Driven into the high mountains by human hunters, the unicorn is forgotten by all the animals, who also lose their ability to speak to one another. More vulnerable than ever to the depredations of the serpent, the animals become truly desperate when the rain ceases and the world slowly dries. Crying to the heavens for relief, they are saved by the unicorn, who pierces the clouds with his horn and brings the rain. But the serpent, determined to cause trouble, poisons the lake, leading the unicorn to intervene again...

In her brief forward, Mayer discusses her three main sources for this tale—the ancient Greek text of the Physiologus; Johannes Witte de Hese's medieval travelogue, the Itinerarius; and the Unicorn Tapestries at the Cloisters Museum in New York City. Being quite familiar with the last of these (the Cloisters is a museum I have visited many times, since childhood), I was already quite familiar with the idea of the unicorn's horn having magical qualities, including the ability to purify water, so that element of the story here felt very familiar. In any case, I found the story in The Unicorn and the Lake quite engaging, and the artwork lovely. I was particularly struck by the fact that the unicorn spares the serpent, after their battle, and that the latter feels a sense of shame, as I don't think I've ever seen another story in which the snake is a villain, but isn't irredeemably bad. In any case, this is one I would recommend to young unicorn fans and fairy-tale lovers. Mayer and Hague would go on to collaborate on another unicorn picture book a few years after this one, The Unicorn Alphabet, which I now plan to track down. ( )

A unicorn runs away from his home because of hunters. He only returns after animals are fighting and the land is drying because of no rain.

This is the oddest, and most off-brand book in my library. I don't like unicorns and not the type to normally have it in my case, but The only reason I have it is how much of how memorable it was to me as a child. The serpent was my favorite character and I loved how distinctive it looked- I drew pictures from this book a lot in my youth. I was really drawn to the art and the allegorical story is memorable. ( )

This is a fascinating tale about a unicorn who is hunted bu humans and forced to live up in the mountains, saves the animals in the lower lands, ridding the lands of an evil serpent, then making the lake water safe to drink after the serpent poisoned it. The illustrations are colorful and depict the magical creature in a realistic way. ( )

A beautiful, allegorical story of a unicorn and the animals in the woods. The paintings emphasize the beauty and goodness of the unicorn, and the terrifying image of the serpent. Beautiful for the frameable images, the poetic story, and the deeper meaning. A great story to share with younger children that does not require extra explanations. ( )