Reviews

Hello, Star by Stephanie V.W. Lucianovic

barefootbetsy's review

adventurous hopeful informative inspiring medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

A lovely story! The children I read it to really enjoyed it and said afterwards they wished it had been non-fiction and had really happened.

lakelandreader's review

reflective

librarylove4eva's review

hopeful informative lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

An absolute gem. Stephanie Lucianovic tells the story of our protagonist, a young girl delighted by the light of a dying star and her journey to get to her star by study and hard work. Vashti Harrison can always be counted on for delightfully sweet illustrations, full of emotion. I do wish she had a name, but I am guessing the creators are creating space for a child to relate by leaving it out?

puddingtaco's review

challenging emotional informative reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

books_n_pickles's review

3.0

This beautiful picture book isn't just about a child: the girl in the story learns that a supernova is a dying star and decides that she will be there with it for its final moments. This means the story takes us through her life, from school where she does her own research at the library and participates in class, to college where she studies stars, through jobs and training to be an astronomer and an astronaut. I can't say if her career trajectory is realistic, but it's unusual to see a character in a picture book grow from child to adult, from "girl" to "woman" in the narrative, with so much emphasis on hard work and persistence. The illustrations, especially of the final supernova, are gorgeous, and as a nice little addition, many of the background characters--like the main character--are people of color, including teachers and scientists. Maybe not realistic right now, but certainly more like the world ought to be.

Areg found this one for Alina and we can't wait to give it to her!

[P.S. Incoming: tons of reviews for picture books that we're planning to gift...but of course Aunt Sarah has to read them all first!]