How To Catch A Star by Oliver Jeffers

 author and illustrated by Oliver Jeffers
Copyright: 2004 Reading Level: PreK-4th grade

Book Description: How To Catch A Star is a captivating story about a young boy with a dream to own a star of his very own. He sets out on a mission to retrieve a star and is determined to hold one in his hand and take it home. Right when he is about to give up, he discovers that sometimes things are not where, or what, we expect them to be.

Integrated Ideas: Students will use the words within the text as well as the illustrations to describe the star found by the boy at the end of the book verses the star he was determined to capture at the beginning and throughout the book. After the book is read, the students will be asked to mimic the teacher as they make objects using only their bodies (e.g., a star, a rocket ship, and other objects incorporated within the story). The students will then create a map of their state using various items and place a regular star in the place of their city/town of their state. Students will also place starfish on the outline of the state that borders the ocean.  
Reviewer's name and affiliation: Bethany A. Loggins, Valdosta State University

Stars

"A star is how you know it’s almost night.
As soon as you see one, there’s another, and another.
And the dark that comes doesn’t feel so dark.
What if you could have a star?" 


TITLE:  Stars
AUTHOR/ILLUSTRATOR: Mary Lyn Ray / Marla Frazee
PUBLISHER: Beach Lane Books PUBLICATION DATE:  October 4, 2011
GENRE: Contemporary Children's Literature READING LEVEL: 3-7 years 
BRIEF OVERVIEW: Modern twists on an ancient idea, “stars” are being described to children in ways they haven’t thought of before! The book connects to students lives by relating stars to things they see every day and ways to see different kinds of stars. The pictures are beautifully illustrated with the words small at the bottom, almost handwritten, with big pictures that take up the page. The color contrast in the pictures is beautiful; the darkness of the background really makes the stars stand out on the page. 
INTEGRATED ACTIVITY: This is an excellent book to help teach students’ self-esteem. The star is a symbol for self-esteem and self-love, (“always keep a star in your pocket for dark times”), this could be used to help children understand that life is not always bright and beautiful, but even in the darkest of times there can still be something beautiful. Children could physically draw out stars to keep in their pockets, or desks, etc., to look back to for self-esteem help. On the back of each star they will write one positive thing about themselves.
REVIEWER’S NAME & AFFILIATION: Patricia Price - VSU Teacher Candidate - LITR 3110 A

**If you have chance- look at a few of the illustrations from the book! Each picture is drawn so beautifully.