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MISTER IN THE STARS

Name: MISTER IN THE STARS
Author: Devon Rohana
ISBN: 9780593897034

by Devon Rohana ; illustrated by G. Brian Karas ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 8, 2026

Beautiful, sad, direct, and brave.

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A child struggles to articulate her grief.

Like most youngsters, Melanie has very particular notions about the world, and she names everything according to her understanding. Her mother, frequently in nightclothes, is Pajama, her little sister is Baby (her sister’s nose is Honk), and her big brother is Mister. Melanie finds satisfaction in identification and is particularly happy in her family’s company, gazing at Twinklers (stars) with Mister and playing video games on Happy Days (weekends). When Mister gets sick, the silence is deafening. Mom imparts the news to Melanie, and a wordless panel sequence of confused gazes follows. No words can capture her worry, but Melanie tries. Doctor visits are Science Experiments; Mister’s cancer, the Bad Worst Meanie. After Mister dies, Karas presents a blank, gray two-page spread. Melanie attempts to express her feelings; she starts to sense her brother in the breeze, in sunlight, and in the stars, and she finds new names for him in her surroundings. Rohana considers a profoundly difficult experience from a child’s perspective, embracing sense-based experiences and emotional logic rather than attempting to encapsulate grief. With that in mind, it’s probably best previewed by a caregiver before read-aloud and will find its most appropriate audience in readers confronting loss. Calm hues, expressive brown-skinned faces, and intentional interplay of activity and stillness make an eloquent, memorable visual impact.

Beautiful, sad, direct, and brave. (Picture book. 4-8)

Pub Date: Sept. 8, 2026

ISBN: 9780593897034

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Anne Schwartz/Random

Review Posted Online: June 15, 2026

Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2026

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES | CHILDREN'S FAMILY

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ON THE FIRST DAY OF KINDERGARTEN

by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Laura Hughes ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 21, 2016

While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of...

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Rabe follows a young girl through her first 12 days of kindergarten in this book based on the familiar Christmas carol.

The typical firsts of school are here: riding the bus, making friends, sliding on the playground slide, counting, sorting shapes, laughing at lunch, painting, singing, reading, running, jumping rope, and going on a field trip. While the days are given ordinal numbers, the song skips the cardinal numbers in the verses, and the rhythm is sometimes off: “On the second day of kindergarten / I thought it was so cool / making lots of friends / and riding the bus to my school!” The narrator is a white brunette who wears either a tunic or a dress each day, making her pretty easy to differentiate from her classmates, a nice mix in terms of race; two students even sport glasses. The children in the ink, paint, and collage digital spreads show a variety of emotions, but most are happy to be at school, and the surroundings will be familiar to those who have made an orientation visit to their own schools.

While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of Kindergarten (2003), it basically gets the job done. (Picture book. 4-7)

Pub Date: June 21, 2016

ISBN: 978-0-06-234834-0

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins

Review Posted Online: May 3, 2016

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2016

Categories:

CHILDREN'S CONCEPTS | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

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by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Jim Valeri

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by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Sarah Jennings

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FIVE LITTLE BUNNIES
by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Dan Yaccarino

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THE MOST MAGNIFICENT THING

by Ashley Spires ; illustrated by Ashley Spires ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 1, 2014

Spires’ understanding of the fragility and power of the artistic impulse mixes with expert pacing and subtle...

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Making things is difficult work. Readers will recognize the stages of this young heroine’s experience as she struggles to realize her vision.

First comes anticipation. The artist/engineer is spotted jauntily pulling a wagonload of junkyard treasures. Accompanied by her trusty canine companion, she begins drawing plans and building an assemblage. The narration has a breezy tone: “[S]he makes things all the time. Easy-peasy!” The colorful caricatures and creations contrast with the digital black outlines on a white background that depict an urban neighborhood. Intermittent blue-gray panels break up the white expanses on selected pages showing sequential actions. When the first piece doesn’t turn out as desired, the protagonist tries again, hoping to achieve magnificence. A model of persistence, she tries many adjustments; the vocabulary alone offers constructive behaviors: she “tinkers,” “wrenches,” “fiddles,” “examines,” “stares” and “tweaks.” Such hard work, however, combines with disappointing results, eventually leading to frustration, anger and injury. Explosive emotions are followed by defeat, portrayed with a small font and scaled-down figures. When the dog, whose expressions have humorously mirrored his owner’s through each phase, retrieves his leash, the resulting stroll serves them well. A fresh perspective brings renewed enthusiasm and—spoiler alert—a most magnificent scooter sidecar for a loyal assistant.

Spires’ understanding of the fragility and power of the artistic impulse mixes with expert pacing and subtle characterization for maximum delight. (Picture book. 4-7)