Where to Hide a Star

K-Gr 2–In Jeffers’s latest, a boy is best friends with a penguin and a star. When the star is forgotten at sea, the boy and the penguin embark on a quest to find her—but the star drifts to a far-off shore and finds a friend of her own. The boy calls a Martian on the phone to aid in the search. An impromptu game of hide-and-seek ensues, after which the star is hung in the sky so that everyone can appreciate her. The penguin, a memorable character, becomes a background feature, and is eclipsed by the action. As with most picture books, the interplay of words and art creates multiple levels of understanding and perception. The use of panels will help readers anticipate what the characters can’t possibly know is coming. The book’s intended message is a good one, but with so many elements in the plot, young readers may struggle to grasp it.