How to Catch a Star
Oliver Jeffers
Philomel Books, 2004

The protagonist in this story is “a boy” who loves stars and wishes that he had one of his own. The color-washed illustrations are simple and almost childlike. The little boy is very appealing because he looks like he was drawn by a child: a large head rests directly on a square body with two spindly arms and two stick-like legs protruding from it. The boy dreams of becoming friends with a star and of playing together. He carefully plots and tries various methods to reach a star. All are unsuccessful, of course, and he is very sad.

One day, walking home alone on the beach, he finds a star of a different kind. On the last page, he is sitting on a chair reading to his star. The fact that the star on the beach is not the same as the stars in the sky is of no consequence to the boy—which is exactly as it should be. The boy and the reader/listener discover that sometimes things aren’t where or what we expect them to be. Certainly, any child or adult who has ever tried to pull a star from the sky will identify with this boy and his wish.