Where To Hide A Star

In this story, Oliver Jeffers’ characters a boy, a star, a Martian, and a penguin all return for a tale of games gone wrong. Their favourite game is hide-and-seek with the boy doing the seeking as the others are unable to count. The star however is not much good at hiding and the penguin always tends to hide in the same place. One day though the penguin gets stuck between some rocks and the boy carefully places the star in his rowboat so he has both hands free to rescue the penguin.

Having done so, he carries the penguin home and the two have lunch and play until half way through the afternoon when they realise the star is missing. Another game of hide-and-seek perhaps? Off they go looking in the usual places during which time the boat carrying the star is heading towards the North Pole. Unable to locate the star, the boy calls up his Martian pal who soon finds the star’s location and it’s not long before the boy, the penguin and the Martian take to the air on a rescue mission, so they think. Meanwhile at the North Pole is a little girl who has always wanted a star friend and is overjoyed when a star lands on the shore. So when the boy arrives two small humans have a dilemma: neither wants to upset the other. What will become of the star?

A gorgeous story of love and letting go and a wonderful way for the author/artist and fans of the series to celebrate twenty years of How to Catch a Star. His watercolour illustrations with their changes of colour palette to heighten the emotional changes and changes of location are awesome.