How to Catch a Star by Oliver Jeffers

How to Catch a Star by Oliver Jeffers
Buy How to Catch a Star by Oliver Jeffers at Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com
Category: For Sharing
Reviewer: Ruth Ng
Summary: First published in 2004, this special anniversary edition includes a fascinating letter from the author who writes about how the story came into being.
Buy? Yes	Borrow? Yes
Pages: 32	Date: March 2014
Publisher: Harper Collins Children's Books
External links: Author's website
ISBN: 978-0007536597
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Oliver Jeffers' distinctive illustrations are instantly recognisable, and can always be seen in your local bookshop in his many, lovely stories. Somehow, unbelievably, we didn't already have a copy of this book on our shelves, so we sat down together eager to read it. The story is simple - a boy would like to catch a star, a star to keep for himself, and so he sets out to try and get one.

The boy makes various attempts to catch his star. He spends most of the day waiting for a star to appear, and when one finally does he tries climbing a tree, or dragging his father's lifebelt to lasso the star down. Each attempt, however, fails. Finally, down by the shore, he sees a star that has fallen into the sea. He walks along the beach, hoping that the star will wash up on the sand and, finally, it does! They boy and the star walk away together, hand in hand.

Jeffers' artwork is very simple, with his stick-legged little boy, but there's something charming about the style, and it remains fresh and appealing ten years on from publication. I like the big, expansive landscapes in this story and the clear, clean skies. The colours when the boy is walking by the sea are particularly beautiful, warm and inviting, and really it is for the artwork that I enjoy this book.

To be honest, this isn't really my favourite of Jeffers' stories. I really like The Incredible Book-Eating Boy which is a wonderful story, and my favourite is Lost and Found which is delightful. The charm of this book lies in the pictures, and in the story that you imagine for yourself behind the words. One of the boy's ideas to catch the star is to use his rocket, but then he remembers that he used all his fuel the other day to go to the moon. I like this glimpse into the boy's imaginary life. This anniversary edition includes a letter from the author, talking about how he first had the idea for the story. I found this very interesting, to see the origins of the boy and his quest to find a star.

I read this story with my seven year old daughter and two year old son. Both of them sat happily listening for the entire story, so it works well across quite a wide age range. I find myself flicking back through, just enjoying those wide, simple pictures that are somehow incredibly appealing. Gentle and calming, this is a sweet bedtime story to share with your little ones.

You should definitely take the time to read Lost and Found which is a sweet, beautiful story.

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