Little Rocket's Special Star

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1854306502 ISBN 13: 9781854306500

Publisher: Scholastic, 2000

Little Rocket has a plan: to bring back a shiny star for her dad, Big Joe. But she doesn't realize just how far away stars really are. She mistakes several sparkling friends--a satellite, the space shuttle, and a space station--for her prize. It's only when she heads back to Earth and Big Joe that she realizes that not all stars are in the sky. Children will be enchanted with the glittering foil that appears throughout this charming picture book--and with the message that they, like Little Rocket, are treasured.

From School Library Journal:

PreSchool-Grade 1-Little Rocket wants to give her father, Big Joe, a star from the night sky as a birthday gift. She soars toward all things small and glittering, but as she gets closer, she is disappointed to find she has followed Satellite Sid, the flames from Sammy Shuttle's engines, and the glow from Andy the Astronaut's flashlight by mistake. Little Rocket perseveres on her quest, ignoring the warnings she receives: "You can't take a star-.It would be too hot to carry"; "-stars are very big. You wouldn't be able to carry it"; and "It would take years to reach them." She finally gives up her search when she finds a spaceship stuck in a crater and tows him home to safety. Big Joe is so proud that he declares, "Little Rocket, you are my very special star!" In a style reminiscent of Marcus Pfister's The Rainbow Fish (North-South, 1992), shiny silver foil inlays add interest and appeal to the simple, primary-colored illustrations. The educational tone of the astronomical facts is tempered a bit by the tiny green alien who trails after the smiling rocket on each double-page spread. The text, however, is slightly flat and didactic.
Linda Ludke, London Public Library, Ontario, Canada
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.