How to Catch a Star [Hardcover]

Oliver Jeffers (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

Release date: June 3, 2004 | Age Range: 3 - 6 years

Once there was a boy, and that boy loved stars very much. So much so that he decided to catch one of his very own. But how? Waiting for them to grow tired from being up in the sky all night doesn't work. Climbing to the top of the tallest tree? No, not tall enough. The boy has a rocket ship . . . but it is made of paper and doesn't fly well at all. Finally, just when the boy is ready to give up, he learns that sometimes things aren't where, or what, we expect them to be.

Jeffers offers a simple, childlike tale of reaching for the stars, and emerging with a friend.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-K–In this whimsical picture book, a young stargazer decides he wants to catch a star. He ventures out at sunrise since he believes the stars will be "tired from being up in the sky all night." He waits all day, only to see one at sunset. The many schemes he concocts prove ineffective, and the sad child heads home along the beach. When he sees a sea star washed up on the sand, he is happy at last to have a star of his own. While the boy's original plan is counterintuitive, the rest of his schemes hold true for what a young child might dream up. The stylized watercolor cartoons are droll and lighthearted, resonating well with the tone of the story. Pair this with Kevin Henkes's Kitten's First Full Moon (Greenwillow, 2004) to share some nighttime adventures at storytime.–Rachel G. Payne, Brooklyn Public Library, NY
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

PreS-Gr. 2. Oliver is a young boy who loves stars and wants one for himself. But no matter how high he reaches, the stars he chooses are out of reach. The seagull can't help him; perhaps a rocket ship might. Even when it appears that a star has fallen into the water, Oliver finds he's only grasping at a reflection. Jeffers uses a panoply of geometric figures (Oliver's head is ball, trees are lines topped with circles and decorated with squares) colored in jewel tones to tell the story. Although the pictures are spare, they have a haunting quality and much child appeal. Kids will like the end of the story, as well: Oliver finds a starfish on the beach that satisfies his longing. Ilene Cooper
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Age Range: 3 - 6 years
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Philomel (June 3, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0399242864
• ISBN-13: 978-0399242861
• Product Dimensions: 10.5 x 10.6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 18.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,821 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #46 in Books > Children's Books > Science, Nature & How It Works > Nature

More About the Author

Oliver Jeffers is an artist, designer, illustrator and writer from Northern Ireland. He graduated from the University of Ulster with a degree in Visual Communication.

From figurative painting and installation, to illustration and picture-book making, his work has been exhibited in New York, Dublin, London, Sydney, Washington DC, and Belfast.

He is widely known for his picture books for children, published by HarperCollins UK and Penguin USA. How to Catch a Star debuted in 2004 to critical acclaim, and Lost and Found (2005), won the Nestles Smarties Book Prize Gold Medal 2006, the Blue Peter Book Award 2006 and was shortlisted for the Kate Greenaway Medal the same year. The Incredible Book Eating Boy (2007) won the Irish Book Awards Children's Book of the Year, and his fourth Book The Way Back Home was released in September 2007 and The Great Paper Caper will be publlished in September 2008.

Jeffers' style of illustration uses mixed medium and is recognised for its subtle narrative and use of space in composition. As a freelance illustrator he has worked for clients such as Orange UK, Lavazza, Sony PSP, RCA Records, Starbucks, candycollective, Blanka, Graphic, the Vacuum and the Irish Times.

Jeffers' artwork consists of figurative painting executed on either canvas or three dimensional objects, both found and made. His most recent solo show (Additional Information, Belfast December 2006) studied the balance between form and content by drawing parallels between the arts and sciences, in which figurative oil paintings were over laid with mathematical equations.

As a co-founder of the art collective OAR, along with Rory Jeffers, Mac Premo and Duke Riley, their exhibitions include 9 Days in Belfast, book and the award winning BUILDING.

In 2007, Jeffers was the official World Book Day Ilustrator.

Lost and Found became Oliver's first book to made into animation by London based Studio AKA, screening on Christmas Eve 2008 on Channel 4.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Magical book for young children February 7, 2005

By E. Fox

Format:Hardcover

How to Catch a Star is a story of a young boy who tries again and again to catch a star, then sees a star reflected in the water and figures it fell from the sky. He tries to grab it, but it just slips through his fingers. On the walk along the beach to his home, he finds a starfish and thinks it's a star from the sky. The last picture is of the boy sitting with his starfish and reading to it. Even though the story has been told before (think Pooh), it's always magical, and the illustrations are simple, yet mesmerizing. This is a wonderful bedtime book and would also make a great read-aloud in a classroom, where it could be used in a beginning astronomy unit.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Little Stargazers will love it. December 5, 2005

By Lawrence LaRaia

Format:Hardcover

My son just turned 5, and this book has gone into the top rotation over the last 3 or 4 months. He has also taken a great interest in space over the same period. He wants to travel to Mars, since I pointed out in the night sky recently. He's asking about other planets, that sort of thing.

Anyway the illustrations are beautiful, Jeffers style can appeal to the young and old. The story plays upon a young child's wish to have a star of their very own, and the ways a young child would dream of catching one. I think a precocious three year old, up to a 6 year old could enjoy this story.

And just about every parent.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars My son's favorite book December 18, 2007

By N. Shipp

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

My 3 year old son absolutely loves this book. He relates so much to what the boy goes through. Having a rocketship that doesn't work too well. Trying to find a seagull that will help fly him up. Finding a tall tree to climb up. He has the entire story memorized and when we read it, we really do read it together.

The illustrations are very well done. The shadows move under the trees as the time changes from dawn to morning to lunch to afternoon to evening. The story is simple, but you can talk to your child about what they would do the same or differently on each page in trying to catch a star.

Each page can be viewed from an adult perspective or a child's perspective. Does the boy just find a starfish? Or did the boy find the shooting star from three pages back?