Review by Booklist Review
In this unusual and deeply moving interpretation of the cycle of life, The Star Child, a flame of vapor high in the firmament, looks down upon earth and states his desire to go there. His elders explain that in order to do that, he will have to be born a human child. They warn him about life on earth: he will need to learn to take care of himself; he will experience many unusual sights and sounds that will confuse him; he will feel pain, happiness, awe, and sorrow. Their cautions do not discourage the Star Child; he fulfills his desire to live on earth. And in the end, he's glad he's said yes. The lyrical text is spare and poetic, condensing a life's myriad events into a few short pages of text. The highly detailed, richly colored mixed-media illustrations are a series of vignettes revealing the various stages of life, from beginning to end. The book comes full circle, showing the Star Child looking at earth on page one and an old man with a cane looking up at a star at the book's conclusion. An affecting story of life on earth and all its wonderful complexity.--Owen, Maryann Copyright 2014 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Nivola (Life in the Ocean) paints the Star Child of the title as a whitish flare shooting forth from the surface of a celestial body, straining toward a blue and green planet floating in the distance. "Please," the Star Child asks his elders, "may I go and see what it is like?" "To visit planet Earth you will have to be born as a human child," they warn; they describe the joys and sorrows of human life. The gouache-and-watercolor paintings that accompany their words are as exquisite as Persian miniatures. In them, readers see a couple greet their new baby, then watch as the boy learns, grows, and marvels at the world's beauty. The boy becomes a man and has a child of his own. Decades pass, and an old man sits alone on a park bench. "And when the time comes to return to your star," the elders conclude, "it may be hard to say goodbye to that strangely beautiful world." Behind Nivola's fable is a comforting theology, one that views human life and death as an interlude in a celestial existence that continues indefinitely. Ages 5-8. (May) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 3-Star Child is "a flame of vapor, invisible and timeless," living somewhere far off in outer space where he longs to visit the distant planet Earth. Told in a small pretty volume, his story consists mainly of his elders' explanation of what he will experience if he is born as a human and lives on Earth. "Here it is still and peaceful, but there the colors, sensations, and sounds will wash over you constantly." In this particular scene, the dark-haired boy representing the Star Child as human is among the shoppers in a busy, open vegetable market. Nivola's pleasant watercolor scenes vary from scattered vignettes and pictures of assorted size to double-page views of the market, a forest, and the seaside. Most of the journey is through the childhood years as Star Child is "plunged into Earth's river of time." Eventually, he does grow up: "Over the years you will try to make sense of that happy, sad, full, empty, always-shifting life you are in." In the end, Star Child decides to make the trip, ultimately returning to stardom at the end of his earthly life and glad he had done it. The philosophical, even allegorical scheme is likely to elude children, though they can surely relate to the attractive views of childhood. The idea of human life originating and ending somewhere far beyond Earth will mesh with some religious beliefs. The presentation might work with primary grade children, but it seems more likely to appeal to some new mothers.-Margaret Bush, Simmons College, Boston (c) Copyright 2014. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
"The Star Child watched the Earth from far away in the sky...he wanted so much to go there." However, since he is "a flame of vapor, invisible and timeless," a visit to Earth will require him "to be born as a human child." In a tender second-person address (in the voice of "his elders"), the text recounts just what the Star Child will experience, cataloging the everyday joys and confusions of the life of a human being. Lyrical prose details all that the Star Child will learn, feel, and discover; how he will love; and the fact that he will then depart the corporeal world. In the end he will return to his star with the knowledge of a complete and meaningful existence built of prosaic moments: practicing for music lessons, journeying by train, capturing fireflies in a jar. Nivola's detailed paintings, rich with brilliant color and pattern, emphasize the splendor of the natural world and humankind's place in it. This feels like an ardent exposition of a personal and heartfelt vision, and while some may not connect to its cosmic scope, those with a penchant for ethereal musings will find comfort and inspiration. thom barthelmess (c) Copyright 2014. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
