Draw me a Star starts with a very young artist who is asked to draw a star, as the artist ages each drawing asks for yet another until at the end the artist leaves with his final drawing- a star.
Bibliographic Citation:
Carle, E. (1992). Draw me a star. New York, NY: Philomel Books.
My Impression:
Like of all Eric Carle's books Draw Me a Star has remarkable illustrations that take the words of the story to an entire new level. The story based on a poem that his Oma (grandmother in German) taught him when he was a young boy is charming beyond common creativity. The interesting thing about this book is its place on the ALA's banned book list. Challenged for nudity, despite Carle's abstract illustrations, and the idea of the main character as "The Creator" this book ranked 61 on the list. I was absolutely shocked by this and actually found an article regarding Carle's story:
http://businessclarksville.com/2010/09/09/banned-books-draw-me-a-star/
I would absolutely include this book in any collection and find the challenge of this piece of art absolutely ridiculous.
Reviews:
When the artist as a child draws a star, the star tells him to draw a sun, the sun tells him to draw a tree, the tree tells him to draw a man and woman, and so on until the night asks him to draw a star again and hold on to it as they fly through the sky. At each stage, the artist appears older, so this is a fable about passage through life and its fullness of possibilities. Children won't get the full impact of that message, but they'll like the cumulative effects of the tale, the creation of a world through paints, and Carle's collages flaring with rainbow hues. They'll also like drawing the stars, which change subtly from five-pointers to eight-pointers, with instructions on making the lines and a note from Carle about his German grandmother, who taught him to draw stars while chanting a nonsense rhyme. R--Recommended. (c) Copyright 1992, The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois. 1992, Philomel, 32p, $15.95. Ages 4-7 yrs.
Betsy Hearne (The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, December 1992 (Vol. 46, No. 4))
How to use this book in your library:
I am definitely under the impression that Eric Carle's stories are excellent for art projects and his style of overlapping tissue paper is a great and inexpensive free art time to do at your library! Here is an excellent website with ideas and instructions:
http://www.ehow.com/how_4719162_tissue-paper-collage-art.html
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