Stars: Mary Lyn Ray & Marla Frazee
January 30, 2012
Book: Stars
Author: Mary Lyn Ray
Illustrator: Marla Frazee
Pages: 40
Age Range: 4-8
Stars, written by Mary Lyn Ray and illustrated by Marla Frazee, is an ode to all types of stars (not just the ones you see in the sky). Ray points out that:
"Moss where you might see fairies
is made of green stars."
and
"Yellow stars on pumpkin vines
become October pumpkins."
She also suggests that you cut out a shiny paper star and put it in your pocket, because:
"Having a star
in your pocket
is like having
your best rock
in your pocket,
but different."
I also especially enjoyed the notion that "some days you feel shiny as a star... But some days you don't feel shiny."
Ray's text is spare and eloquent. Using a relatively few words, Stars celebrates everything from snowflakes to friendship. It's a book with a sense of wonder and celebration, and a little something for readers of all sorts.
Marla Frazee was the perfect choice to illustrate Stars, which carries echoes of All the World (written by Liz Garton Scanlon, for which Frazee won the Caldecott) and Everywhere Babies (written by Susan Meyers). Frazee's now-trademark round-faced, spiky-haired, multi-cultural kids add life to every page, and the blue-toned color palette is quite similar to the one in All the World. The pictures are a nice mix of small vignettes and whole-page-spread paintings. The yellow-tinged page showing a dandelion blow out into the sky is especially beautiful, as is a glowing page of fireworks.
Frazee's illustrations add warmth to an already beautiful book. Although there's no plot-driven story to Stars, it's still a lovely read-aloud for kids (and adults) of all ages.
Publisher: Beach Lane Books (@SimonKidsYA)
Publication Date: October 4, 2011
Source of Book: Cybils review copy from the publisher
Nominated for 2011 Cybils in Fiction Picture Books by: Carol Hampton Rasco
© 2011 by Jennifer Robinson of Jen Robinson's Book Page. All rights reserved. This site is an Amazon affiliate, and purchases made through Amazon links may result in my receiving a small commission (at no additional cost to you).