From the illustrator of the #1 smash hit The Day the Crayons Quit comes a story about wishing, persevering, and reaching for the stars. Once there was a boy, and that boy loved stars very much. So much so that he decided to catch one of his very own. But how? Waiting for them to grow tired from being up in the sky all night doesn’t work. Climbing to the top of the tallest tree? No, not tall enough. The boy has a rocket ship . . . but it is made of paper and doesn’t fly well at all. Finally, just when the boy is ready to give up, he learns that sometimes things aren’t where, or what, we expect them to be. Oliver Jeffers offers a simple, childlike tale of reaching for the stars, and emerging with a friend.

What Kind of Book is How to Catch a Star

Topics

wishes self-discovery coping with failure hard work stars friendship

Genres

fiction

Reviews

Lemony Snickers

5.75

How to Catch a Star is a delightful book about a little, unnamed boy who dreams of--you guessed it--catching a star. The book has some great humor, for example, the wishful boy thinks of using his rocket, but that wouldn't work because "it ran out of petrol last Tuesday when he flew to the moon." The boy catches a star in the end, but it's not what readers might expect. I think it's particularly interesting that the boy's name is never given, but that allows readers to substitute their own name into the story--not a bad thing at all.

B is for Bookworm

6.50

Marmee

4.75

The Goodfather

5.50

Book Lists That Include This Book

Books about wishes

After the Fall: How Humpty Dumpty Got Back Up Again

The Adventures of Beekle: The Unimaginary Friend

Books about self-discovery

Books about coping with failure

The Creative Behind the Book

Author & Illustrator

Oliver Jeffers

OLIVER JEFFERS makes art and tells stories. His books include How to Catch a Star, Lost and Found, which was the recipient of the prestigious Nestle Children’s Book Prize Gold Award in the U.K. and was later adapted into an award-winning animated film; and the New York Times bestsellers Stuck, This Moose Belongs to Me and Once Upon an Alphabet. He is also, of course, the illustrator of the #1 smash hits The Day the Crayons Quit and The Day the Crayons Came Home, both written by Drew Daywalt.His fine art is world-renowned and his dip-art exhibitions are a much sought-after event. Originally from Belfast, Northern Ireland, Oliver now lives and works in Brooklyn, New York, with his wife and young son.