A Way to the Stars

by David Almond, Gill Smith (Illustrator)

Overview

Hans Christian Andersen Award winner David Almond conjures the imaginative bond between a father and son as they pool their resources to defeat gravity and realize a dream.

Joe is starstruck, determined to find his way up, up, up to the magical lights in the night sky. “In your dreams!” his pals say. But when Joe and his dad put their heads and hearts together, there’s no stopping them. Together they climb ladders, construct towers, and launch rockets in a tireless quest to reach the unreachable. Airy and playful, Gill Smith’s dynamic illustrations perfectly complement David Almond’s ebullient tale of sky-high courage—and the power of the imagination to pilot a dream—in a picture book adventure for stargazers and sidekicks of all ages.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781536231250
Publisher:	Candlewick Press
Publication date:	11/07/2023
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	502,380
Product dimensions:	8.63(w) x 11.31(h) x 0.36(d)
Age Range:	3 - 7 Years

About the Author

David Almond is a beloved author of picture books, novels, and graphic novels for children, including The Dam, illustrated by Levi Pinfold; War Is Over, illustrated by David Litchfield; The Tale of Angelino Brown, illustrated by Alex T. Smith; My Dad’s a Birdman and The Boy Who Climbed into the Moon, both illustrated by Polly Dunbar; The Boy Who Swam with Piranhas, illustrated by Oliver Jeffers; Brand New Boy, illustrated by Marta Altés; Skellig; Clay; Kit’s Wilderness; and many more. His awards include a Carnegie Medal, two Whitbread Awards, an Eleanor Farjeon Award, a Michael L. Printz Award, and a Hans Christian Andersen Award, the highest international prize for children’s book authors. David Almond lives in England.

Gill Smith is the acclaimed illustrator of Maria’s Island by Victoria Hislop and Saving the Butterfly by Helen Cooper. She lives in England.

Editorial Reviews

A loving father supports his son’s desire to soar among the stars. . . . Almond’s trim text—with enough repetition and simplicity to engage emerging readers—leaves space for Smith’s narrative contributions. . . . An uplifting story featuring a child with big dreams and playful, responsive parenting.
—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

Smith’s mixedmedia illustrations capture the story’s drama and the occasional madness of their attempted flights as well as the story's joyful conclusion. . . Almond has written a captivating picture book for young children. Kids will revel in the spirit of adventure and creativity that Joe and his father share. A satisfying narrative for stargazers who have wondered, 'What if . . .'
—Booklist (starred review)

In this gentle picture book from Almond, a young boy dreams of finding a way to the stars. . . . Words and images take on equal parts in conveying story and emotion. . . . Almond’s pared-back, rhythmical text adeptly enacts the musicality of everyday language, making the book perfect for reading aloud. A paean to resourcefulness, creativity and collaboration, this quietly jubilant picture book is ideal for parents and children to share.
—School Library Journal

From the Publisher

12/02/2023

PreS-Gr 2—In this gentle picture book from Almond, a young boy dreams of finding a way to the stars. While his friends are cynical, with the support of his father—the sole caregiver presented—the persistent problem-solver pursues his dream through a range of innovative strategies, including climbing a ladder, launching a makeshift rocket, and trampolining. Experimentation and play intertwine as the father-son team joyfully and rambunctiously experiment, with success finally achieved through a method that combines construction and art. Words and images take on equal parts in conveying story and emotion. The boy and his bearded father are depicted as pale-skinned and black-haired, with faces and hair exuberantly rendered in crayonlike swooshes and scrawls. Smith's mixed-media illustrations employ a muted color palette dominated by dark blues, grays, and sandy tones, creating a reassuring backdrop for the child's creative exploration. Almond's pared-back, rhythmical text adeptly enacts the musicality of everyday language, making the book perfect for reading aloud. VERDICT A paean to resourcefulness, creativity and collaboration, this quietly jubilant picture book is ideal for parents and children to share.—Leonie Jordan

School Library Journal

★ 2023-08-26
A loving father supports his son’s desire to soar among the stars.

Joe’s bedroom shows the signs of a budding astronomer/determined engineer: a toy rocket, a solar system mobile, a sketchbook of transport ideas. His buddies laugh at him: “In your dreams!” His dad, however, suggests they “have a think” when he finishes hanging the laundry on the clothesline. The mixed-media scenes of this close-knit pair exude cozy, comfortable warmth on a fall day. They are both pale-skinned and sport black hair. They work on flight plans and implementation together; risk-taking is not impeded by another adult in the home. Dad catches his son when he falls from a tree and propels the cardboard rocket ferrying Joe from a homemade seesaw into a leaf pile. Almond’s trim text—with enough repetition and simplicity to engage emerging readers—leaves space for Smith’s narrative contributions. As the duo keeps trying (a trampoline, taped-on wings, a cannon), the fun grows. When his father asks if Joe is ready to give up, it’s now the protagonist who says, “In your dreams.” And that is how they eventually achieve their goal. After painting a marvelous skyscape, father and son fall asleep and, in their dreams, they “danced among the stars.” The palette has shifted from warm compositions to cool midnight blues.

An uplifting story featuring a child with big dreams and playful, responsive parenting. (Picture book. 4-7)

Kirkus Reviews