Wednesday, June 22, 2016

Henry's Stars by David Elliot -- ADVISABLE

Elliot, David Henry's Stars. PICTURE BOOK. Philomel Books (Penguin Group), 2015. $16.99. Content: G.

One evening Henry notices a pig-shaped constellation, but when he points it out to his sheep friends they don't see a pig. Nope. They see a sheep. The sheep are so excited about "their" constellation that they show it to a cow friend -- who sees a cow constellation instead. Soon Henry is so confused he can't find his original pig formation in the sky anymore. How can he trust what he thinks he sees when everyone else sees something totally different?

This story addresses the idea that people's perceptions often have more to do with who they are than with the actual object they are seeing. It would make a good discussion piece and might also encourage students to look up at the night sky on occasion to see if they can find constellations of their own. People who have difficulty finding the standard constellations in a starry sky may especially appreciate this. While this is listed as a companion to Henry's Map, it stands alone just fine.

EL (K-3) -- ADVISABLE. Reviewer: Caryn

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