The Star Festival

2021 Freeman Book Awards Honorable Mention - Children's Literature
The Best Children's Books of the Year 2022, Bank Street College

STARRED REVIEW! "Hadley has created a remarkable debut that flows elegantly, interweaving the two tales in a way that is readable and fun…An exquisite choice for all collections."―School Library Journal starred review

A multigenerational retelling of a Japanese legend.

Tanabata Matsuri, the Star Festival, celebrates a popular folktale: The Emperor of the Heavens separates his daughter, Orihime, from her love, Hikoboshi, all year―but on this day the two stars finally reunite on a bridge across the Milky Way. For Keiko, her mama, and her grandmother, Tanabata is about making tanzaku wishes, taking in the colorful decorations, and eating delicious food like nagashi somen and shaved ice. But when Obasaan gets lost in the crowd, Keiko and Mama must make their own bridge to find her again―and see if their tanzaku comes true.

Moni Ritchie Hadley is the author of Anzu and the Art of Friendship and The Star Festival. After attending UCLA and enjoying a career as a home/hospital teacher, Moni pursued her dream of becoming a writer. She is the founder of the Write Kidlit Now! scholarship, and lives in Los Angeles with her family and four furry writing buddies.

Mizuho Fujisawa was born and raised in Japan near Mount Fuji. After studying biology, she moved to France with her family to pursue a career in illustration. She lives in France.