Shine!

Hoshi, a starfish, longs to be in the sky like the twinkling stars above, not stuck in the water: “Up there, where I would shine! Oh, poor little me... a star stuck in the sea.” Things are already perfect where Hoshi is now, McDonnell (Tek) makes clear with a wink: “ ‘I should be floating among the colorful planets,’ Hoshi thought, as she floated among the colorful coral. ‘Imagine all the unique and wonderful friends you could meet up there!’ she told her unique and wonderful neighbors.” Unable to ascend, Hoshi dives into deep water, where an anglerfish gives her the wisdom she needs: “Happiness, my dear, is always found right... here,” she says, pointing to her heart. Though there’s not much interaction between text and illustration, Stoop’s (Sing with Me!) mixed-media artwork adds richness and depth. The many sea creatures, painted on wood grain, are identifiable—scarlet coral, a green crab—and the scenes gain beauty from graded washes of sky and water. Ages 4–8. [em]Author’s agent: Henry Dunow, Dunow, Carlson & Lerner. Illustrator’s agent: Brenda Bowen, Sanford J. Greenburger Associates. (Apr.) [/em]