Where do the stars go? by Katie Stewart

Where do the Stars Go? is a playful tale about a curious young possum who wonders: "Where do the stars go in the daytime?" An array of stunning and realistically drawn Australian animals help him on his quest to discover the answer. Kookaburra draws his attention to the drops of water on the blades of grass. They may be shiny but "those aren't stars" says the rakali, pointing Possum's attention to the stars that "play in the water during the day". Each animal by turn (bungarra, numbat and galah) points out something else within the natural environment (the cross indent within a gumnut, yellow wattle flowers, and a sea of star-shaped flowers) until Possum is seeing stars everywhere he looks. Finally, safe back in the tree with his mother, Possum watches as the real stars begin to appear in the night sky. "They don't hide on the ground . . . They stay in the sky and appear in the dark" he realises. Even though Possum now knows where the real stars are during the day he still wants to look for more tomorrow.

This is great book to encourage young childrens' curiousty about their natural environment and to pose their own questions about the world around them. It could be used as a springboard text for getting out and about and looking for 'stars' or other interesting things. Possum is also useful as a model for early critical thinking. The mention of familiar and widespread plants such as wattles and gumnuts allows Australian children to recognise their native environment within the illustrations and the use of Indigenous names for some animals (rakali and bungarra instead of water rat and goanna) is important and well-considered. 

Teachers notes available from the publisher.

Themes: Australian animals, Curiosity.

Nicole Nelson