The Unicorn and the Lake by Mariana Mayer. Illustrated by Michael Hague. Dial books, 1982.

This picture book begins with an introduction about unicorns and unicorn folklore:

“The legend of the unicorn can be traced back to pagan times . . . The unicorn is mentioned in the Old Testament, and during the Middle Ages passages referring to him were frequently cited by theologians, encyclopedists, and storytellers. By A.D. 300 the unicorn was fully adopted by the Christian world–indeed, he had become a symbol of Christ himself.”

So the unicorn in this story is definitely a Christ figure. He defeats the serpent and draws the poison out of the waters of life with his magical horn. Mariana Mayer says that her sources are both pagan and Christian, but the story itself is quite Christian. Not that it ever mentions Christ or the Bible or the gospel or anything like that.

And my recommendation is that you do not mention anything Christian to your children when reading this lovely picture book with your family. Read it, enjoy the story, pore over Michael Hague’s beautiful illustrations, talk about unicorns and talking beasts and evil serpents. Let your children make connections. But do not make the connections for them. The tension between good and evil, the magnificent and powerful unicorn, the animals who are healed and given pure water—all of these ideas and images are enough to fill a child’s (or an adult’s) mind with life and beauty.

I love this picture book. I hope you can find a copy to read with your children.