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How To Catch A Star

Oliver Jeffers' Beautiful Children's Book Reviewed

How To Catch A Star
by Oliver Jeffers
Published by Harper Collins, 2005
paperback, 30 pages

Age range: best for a 2nd (or even 3rd) birthday or Christmas present.

So often your toddler gets given a book, and you discover that their boredom threshold is far higher than yours (I call it Thomas The Tank Engine syndrome).

Bedtime stories should not be such a chore.

This delightful book made me want to read it to my toddler again and again, not just because it's good for him, but because I enjoyed it so much myself.

4 Reasons I Love This Book

The Story - one boy's quest to find his very own star. After waiting patiently all day to see one, he follows its reflection down to the beach, dreaming of how he might fly up and get it in his spaceship. I really liked the imaginative twist at the end.

The Illustrations these are relaxing just to look at, with a cartoon quality that is simple - but the colours are gorgeous.

Toddler bedtime stories often just involve reading the pictures. These illustrations are simple and uncrowded.

The Language is not only simple - it has a quiet rhythm that makes me lower my voice and read more slowly. Here are the first 2 sentences of the book:

Once there was a boyAnd the boy loved stars very much
Read them out yourself and see what I mean.

I found that when I slowed down and read more quietly, my normally boisterous toddler also sat still and listened properly. It is also the only time he has ever been known to whisper!

The Length - there is not much text on each page, and the story itself is quite short. This makes How To Catch a Star a brilliant book to read when you are really tired - it does not feel like work, as some longer and more boring books do.

Follow this link to get your copy of this fabulous children's book.

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