The Book Star (Bec Nanayakkara, illus Joanna Bartel, Affirm)

The Book Star is a fun and engaging story about the importance of being yourself and following your interests. Centred around Book Week, this picture book offers a relatable situation perfect for readers aged 4 to 8 and celebrates books, reading and STEM. Grace loves space and all the possibilities it offers. When her teacher announces a Book Week Party, Grace is bursting with ideas for what to dress up as. But when her friends want to be spies and princesses, Grace starts to doubt her space theme. Bec Nanayakkara (Grow Big, Little Seed) uses alliteration and includes space terminology and concepts throughout the story, including what the Milky Way and Solar System are made up of, to emphasise Grace’s love for space and introduce the topic to readers. Joanna Bartel brings Grace to life on the page, capturing her family and friends and her passion for space in her vibrant illustrations. She uses a variety of layouts, including full-page spreads and panels within a page to expand on the text and add layers of detail that will give children new things to discover with each reading. With positive messaging around following your passions and being yourself, this is a wonderful book for young readers who love space, and it will appeal to teachers, librarians and parents, particularly leading up to Book Week.

Books+Publishing reviewer: M H Alessandrino is a Perth-based freelance writer and reviewer. Books+Publishing is Australia’s number-one source of pre-publication book reviews.

Category: Friday Unlocked reviews Reviews