Stars Beneath Your Bed: The Surprising Story of Dust (Ala Notable Children's Books. Younger Readers (Awards)) [Hardcover]

April Pulley Sayre (Author), Ann Jonas (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 5 and up | Grade Level: 1 and up | Series: Ala Notable Children's Books. Younger Readers (Awards)

What is dust?
More than you think.

What can it do?
You will be surprised.

Dust may seem small,
dark, dirty, and dull.
But it's the secret
behind one of the
largest, most colorful
sights on earth.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Starred Review. PreSchool-Grade 4–This elegant picture book introduces the concept of dust–what it is, how it travels, and how it stays with us through time. In language both poetic and informative ("That dusty film on your computer screen/might have muddied a dinosaur"), Sayre conveys a sense of wonder at the many small things–"a crumbling leaf, the eyelash of a seal, the scales of a snake"–that make up dust and how it unites people across space and time. An interesting afterword expands on a theme raised in the text–the effect of this substance on the color of sunrises and sunsets–and offers more background information. Jonas's borderless watercolor artwork has an impressionist quality that complements the spare text. This book is ideal for classroom use, and is both straightforward enough for preschoolers and fascinating enough to capture the interest of older elementary students.–Kathleen Kelly MacMillan, Maryland School for the Deaf, Columbia
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

K-Gr. 3. Lowly dust gets a poetic treatment in a picture book that tells all about dust's what and where, and sometimes its why. Using free verse, Sayre explains how dust is made everywhere: "A flower drops pollen. / A dog shakes dirt from its fur. / A butterfly flutters, / and scales fall off its wings." Much of the rest of the text catalogs a litany of dust sources: a crumbling leaf, the smoke from burning toast, ash from a volcano. Perhaps most interesting to children will be the news that dust under the bed may be a part of a comet or a bit of the moon. The watercolors in the well-composed two-page spreads sometimes soar (a wave's spray casting dust), but there are also smaller images, such as dust from a farmer's plow, that are equally effective. Adults will need to help kids with the two-page note about dust and sunsets (dust causes the colors), which will be fascinating news to many. Teachers and parents will find uses for this. Ilene Cooper
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Greenwillow Books; 1 edition (March 29, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060571888
• ISBN-13: 978-0060571887
• Product Dimensions: 11.3 x 9.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #977,530 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

April Pulley Sayre loves the sounds of animals and the sounds of words. She is an award-winning author of over 55 natural history books for children and adults. Her read-aloud books, known for their lyricism and scientific precision, have been translated into French, Dutch, Japanese, and Korean. Her picture book VULTURE VIEW, illustrated by Steve Jenkins, received the Theodor "Seuss" Geisel Honor from the American Library Association. STARS BENEATH YOUR BED: the Surprising Story of Dust, received the AAAS/SB&F/Subaru Prize for Excellence in Science Books and was named an ALA Notable. ONE IS SNAIL, TEN IS A CRAB was an ALA Notable and received Britain's highest literacy award. THE BUMBLEBEE QUEEN marked her third win of the John Burroughs Award. Sayre and her husband Jeff have followed lemurs in Madagascar, pursued army ants in Panama, and eaten piranha in the Peruvian Amazon. Mostly, though, they garden for wildlife and munch blueberries at their home in the Midwest.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fun and interesting, June 26, 2007

By 

Vanessa "reading mommy" (White Hall, Maryland United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Stars Beneath Your Bed: The Surprising Story of Dust (Ala Notable Children's Books. Younger Readers (Awards)) (Hardcover)

What a neat story! A wonderful book with great illustrations. Fascinating facts at the end. All you ever wanted to know (and more) about dust. Did you know that if there is more dust it makes for a more colorful sunset? i had no idea...all because of dust. Wow. My kids were intrigued. Fun.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Surprisingly lovely, and informative, July 15, 2006

By 

Arlington Arlo (Arlington, VA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Stars Beneath Your Bed: The Surprising Story of Dust (Ala Notable Children's Books. Younger Readers (Awards)) (Hardcover)

I enjoyed this lovely book very much, and think that young children will be astonished to learn about what dust is and where it comes from. Adults too!