I don't know about you, but I've gotten to a place where if I see a book with E.B. Lewis on it, I grab it. The man is just a genius. This is the first book by Geoffrey Norman and it begins with the familiar fears of a young girl who doesn't like the dark. She doesn't want to go to sleep because it's too scary in her dark room. Her caring father takes her outside into the night and introduces her to the wonder of the nighttime. Together they share the fireflies and the stars and especially the reassuring North Star which will always be there. But, there aren't any fireflies or stars in her room so it's still scary. As the story moves along her father gets some paper stars and they paint them and put them on the ceiling in her bedroom so she can have the fun right there every night while she's in bed. Then, we get to the heart of the matter. Dad is a military man and he's going away for a long time. There's a wonderful illustration of Dad in the desert by his lean-to and the stars shining overhead. Father and daughter are connected through the wonder of the night sky. A year passes and Dad comes home. The book deals with the fears of children whether it's the unknown of the dark or the unknown of a parent headed to the dangers of war. As always, the illustrations of E.B. Lewis convey the feelings with tender feelings with great sensitivity and beauty.
32 pages 978-0399247248 Ages 5-9
Recommended by: Barb Langridge, abookandahug.com
*********
A little girl and her soldier father find a way to be close even when he?s away at war
Amanda is scared of the dark. But her dad can fix that. He shows Amanda all the wonderful things that live in the dark, like fireflies, crickets, and stars. And when her father has to go away, he even puts glowing paper stars on Amanda?s bedroom ceiling, so she can look at their special star while he?s away and know he?s on the other side of the world looking at it too, and thinking of her.
Stars Above Us is an affecting, beautifully illustrated narrative tailor-made for children who've ever lived without a parent.--from the publisher
