Star Bright: A Christmas Story

by Alison McGhee, Peter H. Reynolds (Illustrator)

Overview

This perfectly angelic—and perfectly charming—Christmas story offers a creative twist on the classic tale of the nativity, from the #1 New York Times bestselling creators of Someday.

The angels are aflutter: a baby is soon to be born! One small angel can tell this baby is especially special by the way the other angels are dashing and fussing about. And holy moly, are their presents extraordinary. The little angel wants to give a present too, but, what could she possibly offer that is as worthy as the others’ gifts?

At a loss for original ideas, she peeks over the side of her platform and spies something going on in the desert—a caravan of kings on camels, lost in the dark. And suddenly she knows she most do something, and does the only thing she can. Because the greatest gift of all? It can’t be wrapped. It can’t be bought. It can only be selflessly, joyfully given. And it ends up being the perfect gift for that little baby…the shiningest gift at all.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781442477148
Publisher:	Atheneum Books for Young Readers
Publication date:	09/30/2014
Sold by:	SIMON & SCHUSTER
Format:	eBook
Pages:	40
File size:	6 MB
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Alison McGhee is the New York Times bestselling author of Someday, as well as Dear Sister, What I Leave Behind, Pablo and Birdy, Where We Are, Maybe a Fox with Kathi Appelt, Firefly Hollow, Little Boy, So Many Days, Star Bright, A Very Brave Witch, Dear Brother, and the Bink and Gollie books. Her other children’s books include All Rivers Flow to the Sea, Countdown to Kindergarten, and Snap!. She lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and Laguna Beach, California. You can visit her at AlisonMcGhee.com.

Peter H. Reynolds is the bestselling author and illustrator of I’m Here, The Dot, and Ish; and illustrator for the #1 New York Times bestseller Someday by Alison McGhee. He is also the illustrator of Going Places, Little Boy, Charlie and Kiwi, and the Judy Moody series. He lives in Dedham, Massachusetts, where he is co-owner of the Blue Bunny bookstore. Visit Peter at PeterHReynolds.com.

Editorial Reviews

10/01/2014
PreS-Gr 1—In the heavens, the angels are excited; a baby is about to be born. There are to be lots of gifts for the infant, but the littlest angel can't figure out what she should give him. Wind? No, that's a gift of the sky. Rain? No, that's a gift of the clouds. Finally, she thinks of the perfect gift for anyone who might be lonely or lost, and she transforms herself into a very bright star in the dark sky. The pen, ink, and watercolor illustrations depict a traditional first Christmas on Earth, with wise men, camels, and shepherds against the backdrop of a dark Bethlehem night. But up in heaven, the angels are multiethnic winged children dressed in long white split-tailed jackets, waistcoats, and culottes, frolicking on shiny platforms and consulting flat-screens on stands to get news from below. The newest angel is a small, red-haired child who sports an old-fashioned pilot's helmet with goggles. Somehow, this works—the angels do indeed look otherworldly, and the winsome style of the illustrations complements the simple, sweet text. A different and quietly charming take on the Christmas story.—Eva Mitnick, Los Angeles Public Library

School Library Journal

★ 09/15/2014
News travels quickly in the heavens, especially when it involves the arrival of a baby on Earth in late December. The “newest angel” wants to join in the joyous celebration, but she’s stymied when it comes to selecting the right baby gift. Her “aha moment” arrives when she looks down through the vast night sky and sees three “others” on camelback riding through the desert: “They too looked lonely—No, they looked lost!” The angel tumbles down, gathering light along the way, “Until she came to rest exactly where she was needed.” McGhee’s spare, tender language and light-dark imagery exert a powerful pull on the heartstrings. Reynolds’s delicate pen, ink, and watercolor art is accented with gently humorous details (the angel’s aviator goggles, the wise men consulting a map) even as it matches the text’s emotional intensity. Ages 4–8. Agent: Holly McGhee, Pippin Properties. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

2014-08-12
This charming addition to the gifts-for-baby-Jesus theme imagines the origin of the bright star shining over Bethlehem at the Nativity. In a futuristic version of heaven with connecting platforms floating in midair and computer display screens, a little female angel and her angel friends ponder the impending birth of a special baby down on Earth. The youngest angel wears a white suit with a long, white coat complementing her feathery wings and a white aviator's cap, googles and scarf that give her the look of an early airplane pilot. She wishes she could give something special to the new baby that would be as comforting as wind, rain or music. When the angel notices that the world below her seems dark and lonely, she decides to remedy that as her gift. She soars off a huge diving board, floating down into the dark sky previously lit by only tiny stars, and transforms into an enormous star that illuminates the entire sky and guides the three Wise Men. The story is told with a light touch and few words, and the charismatic little angel's transformation is a positive development rather than any type of loss. Evocative watercolor illustrations range from imaginative views of heaven with swirls of pink clouds to mysterious, deep purple skies over Bethlehem. Though the protagonist angel is Caucasian, there are darker-skinned angels among the heavenly host. An understated, appealing story with fine integration between the succinct text and imaginative illustrations. (Picture book/religion. 4-8)

Kirkus Reviews