The Lost Star

PreS-Gr 1–Dormouse discovers and befriends a fallen star whose light ultimately dims, signaling a need to return skyward back home. With the surprising help of Bear, Crow, Mr. Frog, Owl, and Moon, this one unique star is accompanied by other, equally lustrous stars, as she shimmers, shimmies, and ripples away. Minor’s lustrous, star-studded illustrations fairly sparkle on the page, and accompany a poetic text that is almost as poignant by comparison. Younger children may initially wonder what a dormouse is (an animal of less common knowledge than a mouse or a squirrel), though it is soon implied as a night-time (nocturnal) creature in the text. Other animals appear under cover of darkness: the Owl, a glassy-eyed Crow, and a grumpy yet industrious Frog. This story has all the poetic elements of a lullaby, featuring an unlikely, endearing friendship, though overall it may be too stylized or sophisticated for a younger, preschool crowd.