The Man Made of Stars

Gr 1–3—Told in the voice of the small, wide-eyed boy whose adventure forms the story's plot, this tale of a mysterious old man who climbs a hill at night and places stars in the sky may leave readers with more questions than answers. The child's grandmother identifies "the man made of stars, [who] walks along the path where the forest meets the field, with a bag on his back and a lantern in his hands." When the boy sees him in town, the man's "eyes [shine] like there was a great secret he knew [that] seemed to make him so happy." A light sparkling in the woods outside his house one summer night draws the boy outdoors, through the forest and up a hill, where he watches the wondrous man pull glowing lights from his bag and throw them into the sky. "You must have made someone very happy today," the old man tells him. "Now that kindness will become a new star." The light-infused double-page illustrations edged by blue-black darkness, which cover most pages, show starry skies, swarms of glowing fireflies, trees in pastel colors twinkling with pinpoints of light, and an old man with long white hair and beard dressed in an ethereal flowing robe.