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| Publisher's Hardcover ©2021 | -- |
Moving, Household. Fiction.
City and town life. Fiction.
Stars. Fiction.
Animals. Fiction.
Constellations. Fiction.
Sometimes helping others is the path to finding what you need to feel whole.Toby is reluctant to move to the city, where he'll miss seeing the stars in the sky like he could before. His moms attempt to help him feel more comfortable in his new home with some DIY paper star cutouts, which Toby rejects in anger. While he's lying sleepless without his stars, Toby is visited by a lost lion. Together, they travel through a dreamlike landscape searching for the missing stars. Along the way, they encounter a crying unicorn, a forgetful rabbit, and a lonely ram, among others. Toby and the animals are united in their uneasiness about living in the big city and encourage one another to remain hopeful. An encounter with a fierce dragon proves to be the perspective shift that Toby and the animals need to find their stars and the way home. The animals take their places in the sky as constellations; Toby realizes that his beloved stars are present even if he can't see them in the city, and he helps his moms complete their paper decorations to adorn their new home. Messages of support and the importance of a positive mindset are extended with bright, painterly illustrations that brim with movement, shifts in relative size enhancing both emotional impact and fantastic feel. Toby and his moms are all characters of color; one mom presents Asian and the other, Black.An empathetic, encouraging story for readers dealing with change. (Picture book. 3-8)
Kirkus Reviews (Fri Oct 04 00:00:00 CDT 2024)Sometimes helping others is the path to finding what you need to feel whole.Toby is reluctant to move to the city, where he'll miss seeing the stars in the sky like he could before. His moms attempt to help him feel more comfortable in his new home with some DIY paper star cutouts, which Toby rejects in anger. While he's lying sleepless without his stars, Toby is visited by a lost lion. Together, they travel through a dreamlike landscape searching for the missing stars. Along the way, they encounter a crying unicorn, a forgetful rabbit, and a lonely ram, among others. Toby and the animals are united in their uneasiness about living in the big city and encourage one another to remain hopeful. An encounter with a fierce dragon proves to be the perspective shift that Toby and the animals need to find their stars and the way home. The animals take their places in the sky as constellations; Toby realizes that his beloved stars are present even if he can't see them in the city, and he helps his moms complete their paper decorations to adorn their new home. Messages of support and the importance of a positive mindset are extended with bright, painterly illustrations that brim with movement, shifts in relative size enhancing both emotional impact and fantastic feel. Toby and his moms are all characters of color; one mom presents Asian and the other, Black.An empathetic, encouraging story for readers dealing with change. (Picture book. 3-8)
Starred Review for Kirkus Reviews
Kirkus Reviews (Fri Oct 04 00:00:00 CDT 2024)
He missed his old home.
He missed climbing trees, taking quiet walks, and playing hide-and-seek in the garden.
Most of all, Toby missed seeing the stars before bedtime.
He searched the night sky for the North Star. But he couldn't see any stars in the city.
His parents tried to help. "Let's make our own stars."
"No!" shouted Toby.
"It's not the same."
Without the stars, Toby couldn't sleep.
From inside his closet, a voice growled, "I can't sleep either."
"Oh!" Toby exclaimed. "A lion!"
"I need to find the North Star," the lion said. "I'm lost without it to guide me home."
"Don't be sad," said Toby."I'll help you."
"The stars must be here somewhere," Toby said.
Together they searched for the North Star.
Excerpted from A Home under the Stars by Andy Chou Musser
All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.
Magical and heartfelt, A Home Under the Stars explores the difficulties and anxieties that accompany moving, as well as the journey to find a sense of belonging in a new place and to call it home.
Moving from a rural house to an apartment in the city, Toby feels tiny and lost in the vast, crowded metropolis filled with unfamiliar sights and sounds. His moms try to comfort him, but their bedtime tradition of looking at the night sky together just makes Toby angry -- because the city lights hide his beloved stars.
Without the stars, Toby isn't able to sleep and in his restless state he discovers a lion wandering in a mysterious jungle that has overgrown the city at night. Only the North Star can guide the lion home. Together, boy and lion embark on an otherworldly, nocturnal journey through the city in search of the star. Along the way they befriend other lost animals, each helping Toby to name and process his feelings about moving to the city.
When, at last, Toby finds the North Star, he realizes that even if he can't see the stars, they will always be there for him. Comforted by this thought, Toby returns from his adventure ready to make a new home in the city.