JOURNALING Question Prompt:

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Try these picture books about stars:

Henry’s Stars, by David Elliot, Philomel Books, 2015 – A lovely little book about Henry the pig who is very excited when he discovers stars forming the Great Pig in the Sky! But why do the other animals see the Great Sheep of the Stars, the Great Star Cow, the Great Starry Horse and Heavenly Hens?

Hopper and Wilson Fetch a Star, by Maria Van Lieshout, Philomel Books, 2014 – Hopper and Wilson, illustrated as watercolour stuffed toys (an elephant and a mouse) go on their magical paper airplane to fetch a star to use as their own night-light.

How to Catch a Star, by Oliver Jeffers, HarperCollins Children’s Books, 2014 – A sweet book about a boy who wants to catch a star with gorgeous watercolour illustrations.

Star Girl, by Karin Littlewood, Frances Lincoln Children’s Books, 2013 – When Gracie captures her special star it no longer shines, can she find a way to make it shimmer again?

Stars Above Us, by Geoffrey Norman and illustrated by E.B. Lewis, G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 2009 – A little girl is afraid of the dark but her dad shows her the beauty in the night and paints glow in the dark stars for her bedroom,. The North star becomes their special link when her father, a soldier, has to go away for a long time.

Stars, by Mary Lyn Ray and Marla Frazee, Beach Lane Books, 2011 – What a beautiful book this is! A magical look at stars all around. I highly recommend this book.

Stars! Stars! Stars!, written and illustrated by Nancy Elizabeth Wallace, Marshall Cavendish Children, 2009 – Minna the rabbit wonders about the stars so her mom suggests she invite some friends to visit the Star Pace Museum.

Twinkle, Star of the Week, by Joan Holub and illustrated Paul Nicholls, Albert Whitman & Company, 2010 – A sweet story about Twinkle who doesn’t know what to do when its her turn to be “Star of the Week” after a friend uses her idea.

Stargazers, by Gail Gibbons, Holiday House, 1992 – A colourful picture book that gives a basic overview of the stars and stargazing.

Stars, by Ker Than, Scholastic 2010 – Part of the “A True Book” series, this is great early grade schoolers this explains in easy language how stars are born and what happens when they burn out.

Stars, by Steve Tomecek and illustrated by Sachiko Yoshikawa, National Geographic,2003 – Part of the Jump Into Science Series, this looks like a picture book but is a pretty good book to help kids understand the night sky.

The Stars, by Carmel Reilly, Macmillan Library, 2011 – A great educational book that’s easy to read with lots of fun star facts.

The Stars, by H.A. Rey, Houghton Mifflin Company, 2008 – First published in 1952, this book has a lot of text but does a good job of explaining star gazing with lots of revised facts and a sprinkle of humour and his own illustrations (recall he is the beloved author of Curious George).

Stars and Constellations, by Nick Hunter, Heinemann, 2013 – A great book for new readers who want to learn the basics about stars.

Stars and Galaxies, by Ian Graham, Smart Apple Media, 2008 – A good science book for grade school children who want to learn a little bit more about stars and space.

Stars and Galaxies, by Isabel Thomas, Heinemann Library, 2013 – Lots of facts about what stars are and even has an interview with an astronaut.

What are Stars, by Carmen Bredeson, Enslow Publishers, Inc., 2008 – An easy reader for little space explorers.

Stargazers, by Gail Gibbons, Holiday House, 1992 – A colourful picture book that gives a basic overview of the stars and stargazing.

Stars, by Ker Than, Scholastic 2010 – Part of the “A True Book” series, this is great early grade schoolers this explains in easy language how stars are born and what happens when they burn out.

Stars, by Steve Tomecek and illustrated by Sachiko Yoshikawa, National Geographic,2003 – Part of the Jump Into Science Series, this looks like a picture book but is a pretty good book to help kids understand the night sky.

The Stars, by Carmel Reilly, Macmillan Library, 2011 – A great educational book that’s easy to read with lots of fun star facts.

The Stars, by H.A. Rey, Houghton Mifflin Company, 2008 – First published in 1952, this book has a lot of text but does a good job of explaining star gazing with lots of revised facts and a sprinkle of humour and his own illustrations (recall he is the beloved author of Curious George).

Stars and Constellations, by Nick Hunter, Heinemann, 2013 – A great book for new readers who want to learn the basics about stars.

Stars and Galaxies, by Ian Graham, Smart Apple Media, 2008 – A good science book for grade school children who want to learn a little bit more about stars and space.

Stars and Galaxies, by Isabel Thomas, Heinemann Library, 2013 – Lots of facts about what stars are and even has an interview with an astronaut.

What are Stars, by Carmen Bredeson, Enslow Publishers, Inc., 2008 – An easy reader for little space explorers.

Stars and Constellations

Try to find some of these Non-fiction titles to learn all about the stars and the night sky:

Constellations, by Steve Goldsworthy, AV₂, 2012 – This has a book code

for enhancements on the internet, but is also a good text for kids wanting to learn more about star science.

Exploring Our Universe: The Stars – Glowing Spheres in the Sky, by David Jerreris, Crabtree Publishing Company, 2009 – Another good scientific look at the stars for kids.

Inside Stars, by Andra Serlin Abramson and Mordecai-Mark Mac Low, Sterling Children’s Books, 2011 – this is a fun scientific book with fold out pages and fantastic photographs to help understand the stars better.

The Lives of Stars, by Ken Croswell, Boyds Mills Press, 2009 – Older kids might like this more thorough look at stars with some amazingly beautiful photographs of nebulas.

The Night Sky: The Story of the Stars, Planets and Constellations – and How you Can Find Them in the Sky, by Michael Driscoll and illustrated by Meredith Hamilton, Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers, 2004 – Tnis is a fun book, complete with a removable star finder, that explains a lot about stars.

Night Sky Atlas, by Robin Scagell with consultant Jacqueline Mitton, DK, 2004 – Older kids will like this thorough and in-depth look at starry skies. It has cool see through pages, an interactive CD-ROM, and lots of information.

Night Sky Detective, by Ben Morgan, Dk, Smithsonian, 2016 – This is a fantastic book! It tells kids what they need to stargaze, introduces the night sky, has crafts, shows how to view sunspots, make and read a sun dial, etc.

The Science of Stars – Exploring Matter, by Karen Latchana Kenney, Checkerboard Library, 2016 – A small book but with enough detail to make understanding stars accessible.

See the Stars: Your First Guide to the Night Sky, by Ken Croswell, Boyds Mills Press, 2000 – A month by month look at what you can find in the night sky.

Go to the library to find books about the Stars and Constellations!

How to encourage your child to write:

Choose the level of your child:
Toddler/Preschool – discuss the answer(s) out loud first and have your child draw a picture of the answer

Preschool/Kindergarten – discuss the answer(s) out loud first and write the answer down for him/her leaving one word for him/her to write out himself/herself with your help. You could also encourage him/her to draw a picture as well.

Early Grade School – have your child either write out the answer himself/herself (encourage phonetic spelling) without your help, or offer to help with spelling each word out loud one word at a time.

Grade School – have your child write a sentence or two on his/her own and then read over and discuss the response. (You decide whether to correct the spelling or not)

Older Child – have your child write a longer response (paragraph).

As A Challenge – instead of a question ask your older child to write a story poem about the stars or constellations.

BOOKS

Here are some books specifically about the Constellations:

Andromeda, by Mary Austen, PowerKids Press, 2016 – Part of the Constellation Collection (also includes The Big Dipper, Gemini, The Little Dipper, Orion and Pisces) this is a great little look at the Andromeda Constellation. It inclues where and how to find it, and the Greek mythology behind the name.

Constellations, by F.S. Kim, Children’s Press, 2010 – Part of the ”A True Book” series, this is a nice beginners guide to what the stars are all about.

The Constellation Cassiopeia: The Story of the Queen, by Lisa Owings and illustrated by JT Morrow, The Child’s World, 2014 – An examination of the stars that make up the constellation as well as the origin of the myth of Cassiopeia.

The Constellation Scorpius: The Story of the Scorpion, by Arnold Ringstad and illustrated by JT Morrow, The Child’s World, 2014 – Another in the Constellation Series (other titles include Draco, Hercules, Orion, Taurus, Ursa Major and Ursa Minor).

Dot to Dot in the Sky: Stories of the Zodiac, by Joan Marie Galat and illustrated by Lorna Bennett, Whitecap 2007 – This book includes a glow in the dark star map and plenty of stories about various constellations.

Find the Constellations, by H.A. ReyHoughton Mifflin Harcourt, 2008 – First Published in 1954 this fun-filled book by Curious George author offers a wonderful take on finding the constellations in the night sky.

The Kids Guide to the Constellations, by Christopher Forest, Capstone Press, 2012 – Easy to read but and a good overview of various constellations.

Orion, the Hunter, by Necia H. Apfel, Clarion Books, 1995 – An older book but a thorough look at Orion.

Reading and Writing

Write out one or more of the following questions in your Family Theme Day Scrapbook or on a piece of paper to glue in your scrapbook:

What do you know about the stars? Which constellations have you heard of? Which constellations have you seen in the night sky? What would you like to learn about the stars? What did you learn about the stars that you never knew before?

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