The tiny star

This meditation by Fox (Cat Dog) and Blackwood (The Feather) starts with a miracle: "Once upon a time, although this happens all the time, a tiny star fell to earth," Fox begins engagingly, "and turned into a baby!" The brown-skinned infant, entirely human-looking, lands in an armchair among a jumble of small city dwellings one blue-tinged evening. A kindly-looking couple take the star home, lavishing care on it until "it was all grown up." Warm spreads in soft lines show the star-child showered with love in a joyous, ethnically inclusive community. Fox refers to the star as "it," and in Blackwood's art, it has long straight hair, a dress, and a night sky--patterned blanket. At the end of its life, the star shrinks, then disappears altogether. Its human companions grieve until they realize that the star, back in the sky, is shining down on them, in a book that shows how love can draw people closer as individuals and as a community. Ages 4--8. (Oct.)

A full life is depicted. Fox's gentle prose begins with a tiny star falling from the sky. The narrator is careful to reassure readers that "this happens all the time." In a twist expressed so straightforwardly it feels possible, the text relates that it "turned into a baby!" The interracial couple that finds the baby wraps it in a star-covered quilt. That blue, cozy blanket stays with the child, a steadfast marker for readers to follow as the child grows and changes (but is never gendered). "It grew older and older, / and older still. / And even older than that. / The longer it lived, the more it was loved." That once-tiny star is now depicted as a brown-skinned human with straight, black hair, surrounded by family and friends. Then, as once it grew larger, it now begins to shrink, stooped over, using a walker. Depicted as a frail, smiling elderly human, it settles in to the very same chair into which the star first fell. Suddenly, all that is left is the quilt. The loved ones, all mourning, seek comfort in looking at the sky and seeing the star once again. "Every heart was lightened. / Every heart began to mend." Grief can feel impossible, but Fox's words whisper straight to one's heart while Blackwood's characteristically warm, smudgy illustrations exude warmth. A true sense of community is found within; neighbors gather, animals flock together. Blackwood and Fox embrace growth and love. (This book was reviewed digitally.) A soft touch of peace for a life well lived. (Picture book. 4-8) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.