The Star in You

K-Gr 2–On a turquoise starry night, children look around from inside Victorian-like city buildings surrounded by yellowish glimmering lights. Each kid has a star inside that may be “pink” or “parsley-frog green,” sparking friendships but sometimes losing confidence. This picture book, featuring kindergartners of varied races in a school setting, offers a plot that highlights teacher support and kindred solidarity as the main character’s star hides away after a tumble. Moore, a former elementary school teacher, provides a thoughtful two-line, second-person rhyming narrative, using metaphor to represent emotions, personalities, and daily dispositions children feel, connecting readers with emotions and relationships. The digitally made illustrations combine line drawings with pictorial details that cleverly convey the temperaments of the characters and the tone of the story line. This art will connect children with a narrative supported by a handsome autumn background and expressive full-page and sequential illustrations that accentuate the dramatic layers of the story, as well as the nurturing and healing effects of genuine care.