Starry Starry Night by Sarah Kate Mitchell
Murdoch Books, 2010. ISBN: 978 1741968194.
Highly recommended for all ages. Jeffrey and his big sister, Rosie,
race one another home from the carnival on a bright, starlit night.
Down the hillside, they stop. Rosie tells him the stars are 'filled
with ideas, dreams and inventions - our IMAGININGS. They dance up there
all night for everyone to see.'[ Back at home, Jeffrey is looking
through his window when he sees a falling star and his curiosity leads
him outside to see if he could find it. Following its path, he finds
moonbugs, leaves which turn into birds, a cardboard creature and a
school of ticklefish and collects various pieces which remind him of
his trip. Finally, he also comes across a crater, created by the star
and, as he picks up the star fragment, it ceases to glow. Arriving at
home, Jeffrey tries to fill the star with his own imaginings - but will
they be successful and cause the star to glow?
Mitchell has created a delightfully imaginative first picture book,
accompanied by her glowing illustrations of the stars in the night sky
and the night time landscape both real and imagined. According to
Mitchell's ABC radio interview, the illustrations preceded the text and
the visual landscape is one into which the reader can only dream of
entering. Text and illustrations in this title meld beautifully to
create a whole package, appealing to readers of any age, and serve only
to encourage one to continue to dream.
Jo Schenkel