The Star in the Forest

K-Gr 2–Two sisters, Pip and Maisie, spend time at their grandparents’ cottage trying to entertain themselves. While Pip is content to stargaze and sip hot chocolate, Maisie dreams of loftier discoveries and adventures, and wills something exciting to happen. When an unexpected flash illuminates the sky, Maisie springs into action, followed by Pip, to find out what it is. Kellock’s transcendent images capture the joy of making new discoveries. Drawings and paintings flit from shadowy charcoal black to intermittent sparks of glowing yellow, pink, and orange, all the more so toward the end of the story when the girls find and identify the treasure, a meteorite, highlighted in bright yellow. The story is equally stimulating, promoting the view that inspiration and the pursuit of something new can take time. While Maisie initiates the search, she is quick to dismiss the meteorite as “just a lump of cold nothing.” Her sister is the one who takes the time to identify it as something truly special.