Children's Picture Books

Twinkle, Star of the Week

By: Joan Holub
Illustrator: Paul Nicholls
Publisher: Albert Whitman & Company
Publication Date: March 2010
ISBN: 978-0807581315
Reviewed by: Deb Fowler
Review Date: March 2010

All the little stars sat at attention as Ms. Star made an announcement. She told the class that each one of them would get a turn to be "Star of the Week" and get a chance to sit in the blue Milky Way chair during share time. Shimmer didn't look overly enthusiastic and Blink had his eyes shut, but Twinkle was waaay excited because she wanted to be the superstar for the week and sing her favorite song. At Sky School it was a big honor and she wanted to be the superest superstar of them all. First it was Dazzle's turn and then it was Blaze's. He made asteroid cookies that were yummy, but Twinkle was determined her song would eclipse even something astronomical like that. She had to practice because she was making some mistakes. "Twinkle, twinkle little star . . . "

Beamer was a big hit when he opened up a sack and his pink pet comet whooshed round and around the classroom. Twinkle fretted at night as she sat on her bed with her teddy. Gee, asteroids and comets would be hard to beat. Practice, practice, practice . . . she was down to two mistakes now. "Twinkle, twinkle little star, how I wonder what you are." Yep, she was going to be the superest superstar of them all. When Shimmer was the "Star of the Week" she had everyone play Constellation Tag. One by one they had their turns. Twinkle's turn was coming in a week and she was ready as could be. When Blink took his spot in the blue Milky Way chair Ms. Sun lifted up her finger and he began to sing. "Twinkle, twinkle little star, how I wonder what you are . . . " Of all the songs Blink could have chosen why did he pick hers? Now what was she going to do? It was a catastrophe!

This dazzling little story of Twinkle and her starry-eyed little classmates is a perfect introduction to the solar system. Many classrooms have their special traditions like share time where youngsters can showcase their talents or show and tell about something special they own. Most youngsters will be able to sympathize with Twinkle when Blink "steals" her song. The illustrations are vibrant, colorful and almost steal the show away from Twinkle and her classmates. In the end pages there are illustrations of the classmates and things we can see in the solar system. There are numerous interesting facts that can be discussed in the homeschool or classroom setting. For example, "There are over 200 billion stars in the Milky Way galaxy."

Quill says: This delightful tale is one you might consider adding to your list!