My Friend, the Starfinder (review)

Abstract

Reviewed by: The Ugly Duckling Jeannette Hulick Andersen, Hans Christian The Ugly Duckling; ad. by Stephen Mitchell; illus. by Steve Johnson and Lou Fancher. Candlewick, 200840p ISBN 978-0-7636-2159-9$16.99 R 7-10 yrs In this story based on a real figure from Lyon's childhood, a female narrator recalls her elderly neighbor's mesmerizing tales about finding a fallen star (a story backed up with his presentation of the meteorite-like star itself as evidence) and stumbling across the end of a rainbow. Though the story might have been better balanced by including three of the man's artistic tales rather than the less narratively conventional number of two, Lyon's poetically conversational text, arranged artistically on the page, is spare but vivid; for example, she describes the fallen star as "glassy, [End Page 297] blackish green like puddles around a coal pile." Gammell's distinctive multimedia (watercolor, pastel, colored pencil, and gouache) illustrations are a perfect match for the imaginative, dreamlike quality of the narrative. Streaky washes of color, drippy spatters, and hair and branches that seem electrically charged create a feeling of tremendous (perhaps even cosmic) movement. The scenes that depict the recounting of the old man's stories are particularly powerful, with the fantastical elements providing the only spots of color in an otherwise shadowed and monochromatic world. Use this to discuss fact vs. fiction or to spark the imaginations of young writers, or simply share it as a tribute to storytellers everywhere. Copyright © 2008 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois