What Stars are For by Margeaux Davis

Henry is a snail who loves to explore his environment during the night. He can burrow under fallen leaves, find water drops on spider webs, marvel at the construction of nest built by birds using twigs and he can see all of this because the moon lights his way. 

"But what are stars for? he would whisper to no one at all."

Because Henry has an unanswered question he decides to venture out in daylight and ask his question. The bee has no time for questions like this. The kookaburra thinks this is a ridiculous question. All the bandicoot can see is food - Henry quickly hides. Luckily there is someone wise who can help. That night Henry sees a wombat gazing up at the sky. He bravely asks his question one more time.

"Stars are for looking at together."

Sometimes in our rush to read a new book we forget to stop and look at other parts of the book such as the end papers and page layouts and colour palette. All of these features are beautifully designed in this book. You also need to stretch out the cover to see the front and back - the snail (his name is Henry) and on the back the wombat (her name is Celeste). This is also an example of a quiet story. Many years ago Mark McLeod talked about the importance of sharing quiet stories with our children. His comments inspired me to start a Pinterest on this topic. Think about the title too - the question is what are stars for but the title reverses this to what stars are for.

Here are the wonderful end papers which show the day and night setting for this story:

Image source: Instagram Telarahpslibrary

This book was published in 2024 so I am certain it will be a CBCA 2025 Notable title and I hope to also see it on their Early Childhood shortlist. Read more about Margeaux Davis. Take a look at this review. Make a plan to share this gentle story with a young reader today. Take a look at Instagram posts by Margeaux Davis. 

Companion book:

Where does Thursday go?

Here is small section of other picture books about stars. You can search for each of these titles using my side bar:

Thank you, Moon by Melissa Stewart illustrated by Jessica Lanan

But most of all, thank you Moon, for enchanting us with your 

ever-changing beauty, night after night ...

There is a plant I have in my garden that uses the length of the day as a trigger to flower. As the days grow shorter the plant sets buds and then flowers. Similarly, there are lots of plants and animals that use the phases of the moon in various ways.

Who uses the moon?

• Sea turtles
• Dung Beetles
• Black-headed night monkey
• European nightjar (bird)
• Lion
• Thomson's gazelle
• Zooplantkon
• Merriam's kangaroo rat (from Mexico)
• Stony coral
• Joint Pine (shrub)

In a series of thank-yous paired with brief notes on nature, Stewart points to the influence of the moon on wildlife—how it helps hunting lions when thinned to a crescent and their grazing prey when full, signals kangaroo rats to hide in the shadows and zooplankton to head for the sea’s darker depths when bright, and lights the way for black-headed night monkeys and hatchling leatherback turtles. Kirkus

So, this book is nonfiction BUT it is also a lyrical love song to the moon as evidenced by the text quote at the beginning of this post. The fact sections on each page are in the corner of the spread and in a smaller font and at the back of the book there are details about all of the animals and plants; a chart of the phases of the moon; and an extra reading list and information source list. All of these are perfect additions to a nonfiction book. Melissa Stewart has a fabulous web page filled with brilliant science picture books and nonfiction titles and brilliant ideas for educators. Read more about Thank you, Moon here. 

Here in Australia this book is very expensive (nearly AUS$38) BUT if you do have a little extra money I highly recommend adding this title to your collection. 

I often talk to the full moon and I say thank you or, based on the book Happy Birthday Moon, I say Happy Birthday. And here are some other special books about the moon:

The Moon Keeper

The Boy who loved the Moon

I'm Not Scared by Britta Teckentrup

A Big Hedgehog and Little Hedgehog Adventure

Little Hedgehog wakes up and Big Hedgehog is missing. This could be scary but Little Hedgehog assures himself he is not scared at all. Big Hedgehog is not far away he has been preparing a picnic which they will share as they walk off into the night. After all hedgehogs are nocturnal! Things do go bump in the forest and there are wild animals but Little Hedgehog is not scared, well not very scared.

Bookseller blurb: This charming and relatable story about being afraid brings back Big Hedgehog and Little Hedgehog, two of Britta Teckentrup's many marvelous characters who embody human emotions young readers can identify with and easily understand. From dark basements to deserted streets, swooping birds to cars' glaring headlights, menacing foxes to friendly cats, the two friends spend a day and evening confronting things that are both frightful and harmless. As the two hedgehogs walk through their neighborhood, they talk casually about their fears and strategies for dealing with them-whistling, holding hands, counting, being still, and accepting kindness. 

I would love to read or hear this book read aloud - you could have so much fun with the voice of Little Hedgehog who is actually really scared but wants to sound brave. This book shows young readers that it is okay to be scared - mum and dad might get scared sometimes too.

To feel afraid is a natural feeling and this book reinforces not only that but encourages children to talk about things they find frightening and how they might deal with them. It is a gentle story of friendship with the most beautiful illustrations that capture the wonders of nature’s colours, textures and nuances. Just Imagine

When I see the name Britta Teckentrup on a book cover, I know I am in for a visual delight. Oh, and I do adore hedgehogs even though I live in Australia and of course we don't have them here.

There are four books in this series. 

I think this was the original planned cover for I'm not Scared.

Here is book four in German:

The Big and the Little Hedgehog / Again!

In the fourth volume of the already much-loved series The Big and the Little Hedgehog, we have now arrived in spring! Doing the same thing over and over again is very important for young children because it helps them learn and develop, and it gives them a sense of security when engaging with familiar things. In again! It's about children's desire to do it all over again, because it was so great, even if they're already dead tired. 

The English edition will be released in May, 2024.

This relationship between Big Hedgehog and Little Hedgehog reminded me of this book series:

Night Watch by Jodi Toering illustrated by Tannya Harricks

As night falls the Tawny Frogmouth sets off to fly home. I imagine this pair are hunting for food for their chicks. Along the way other night animals, many with their own young, look up from below or from their own nest - cockatoo, koala, emu, echidna, wallaby, numbat, and pygmy possum. You can almost feel the swoosh of their wings when they finally reach their home and land on the branch with their three fluffy babies.

Very, very occasionally a tawny frogmouth has landed on my verandah rail. These wonderful, camouflaged birds sit so still and of course they arrive in the evening with the darkness making it even harder to see them. The tawny frogmouth looks like an owl but it is not an owl. 

The scientific name of the Tawny Frogmouth is Podargus strigoides. "The genus name, Podargus, is from the Greek work for gout. Why? Unlike owls they don't have curved talons on their feet; in fact, their feet are small, and they’re said to walk like a gout-ridden man! Their species name, strigoides, means owl-like." 

"More closely related to the nightjar than the owl, the tawny frogmouth is mottled grey, white, black, and rufous, allowing them to easily become camouflaged with the bark of a tree. Like owls, their feathers are soft which helps them fly silently through the air, but they lack the strong, curved talons that owls are renown for."

Further reading

• Australian Museum
• Bush Heritage
• Australian Geographic
• Birdlife Australia

You can see and hear a family of Tawny Frogmouths here and 

read more on this site Gizmodo.

I wonder why Walker Books Australia didn't format this book for inclusion in their wonderful Nature Storybook series or if this wasn't the choice of the author then perhaps they could have added a fact page at the back of the book. While I have heard of and seen the tawny frogmouth I did not know very much about them. There are also lots of Australian animals mentioned in this book many of which could be unfamiliar to an internation audience. Do we have native quail in Australia? 

When you reach the final page of Night Watch please grab a copy of Owl Babies by Martin Waddell illustrated by Patrick Benson. I know I said a Tawny Frogmouth is not an owl but the final scene with the parents and babies sitting on a branch strongly resembles the scene when the mother returns in Owl Babies.

If you are using this book with a group of older students it might be interesting to discuss the way Jodi Toering adds capital letters to her text. 

"Dusk whispers softly, soothing Day to slumber as the last of Sunset's flames smoulder slowly skyward. Tawny Frogmouth wakens." 

Moon is a character with a female gender. Also talk about expressive phrases such as liquid moonlight; blanketing the earth; drenched in silver starlight; stretching infinite; and rushing crystal clear.

Try to find this splendid book by Narelle Oliver to read alongside Night Watch:

I own a few art pieces by Australian children's book illustrators but I would love to add a piece by Tannya Harricks. I have greatly admired her work ever since I saw this book:

Mallee Sky

Look for this book also illustrated by Tannya Harricks about one of our iconic Australian birds - the Kookaburra.

Kookaburra

Here is the web page for Jodi Toering and also for Tannya Harricks. 

Nightsong by Sally Soweol Han

The world is never quiet. Adults are talking, clocks are ticking, even the 'fridge is not silent. Lewis is surrounded by sounds indoors while he waits for his mum there are more sounds outdoors as they walk along a busy city street to catch the bus. They climb aboard and the hum of the bus engine nearly lulls Lewis to sleep until ...

A flat tyre! POP!

Lewis has his device which usually distracts him but out in the countryside it stops working (thank goodness) and so Lewis sets off to explore.

"The more he listens the more he hears. And the more he wants to see."

He hears the birds and insects. He hears an owl and a possum. He hears the splash of the fish in the creek and the ribbit ribbit of some frogs. It sure is noisy out here in nature.

"The night sounds become a song."

Finally, a new bus arrives, and everyone climbs on board, but Lewis is no longer tired. His mind replays all the wonderful sounds of nature all the way home.

You could easily share this book as part of a mini theme on listening, nighttime and the sounds of nature. Check out this post or type any of these titles at the bottom of this post into my side bar. If you read this book with your own children it would be fabulous to go outside and listen to all the night noises. You could also do this in the daytime to compare. In our city we have a display of hanging bird cages with electronic bird sounds - they change over the day to match when you would actually hear these birds in a forest. Strangely even though it is just a series of recordings it is a magical place right in the centre of the city.

Can I just also say NOTHING beats actually doing something relating to the book you are enjoying either with your young reading companion or even your class. I was talking with a friend today. Our NSW schools are killing books in their classrooms with over analysis. In the book read by this group - Storm Boy by Colin Thiele - the word tussock is used. Surely instead of spending an hour analyzing this word it would be way better to just head outside and look at some clumps of grass. Also, I am sure the wonderful illustrator Robert Ingpen shows readers exactly what this looks like around the sand dunes which are the setting of this famous Australian book.

Here are some other books to read alongside Nightsong.

Night Lunch

Sally Soweol Han won the CBCA (Children's Book Council of Australia) New Illustrator award for her book Tiny Wonders.

Night Lunch by Eric Fan illustrated by Dena Seiferling

Begin with the title - Night Lunch - what could that mean?  We don't eat lunch at night. Hold on - look closely at the cover. You can see an owl and a tiny mouse. Owls are creatures of the night. Mice - oh no - they are usually food for owls. Is this little mouse with his tiny broom going to be the actual lunch for the owl? I'm not sure I am brave enough to read this book.

When you open this book, several things will stand out. The nighttime colour palette - plum, purple, chocolate brown, golden yellow and touches of cream to highlight the lamps and candles. You will also notice the page design where the text is under every double spread on a white strip - black text on white - very easy to read and also allows readers to linger over the illustrations. You can almost hear the clip clop of the horse pulling the cart along the cobbled streets - think about the way Dena Seiferling has interpreted the text from Eric Fan. I continue to marvel at this process where an illustrator is sent words on a page (possibly just one piece of paper) and using their imagination they create a whole story world. 

Now look at the text and this repeated pattern - 

Clip clop, a midnight moon.
Sweep sweep, dust and leaf. 
Drip drop, coffee's hot.

The night lunch cart rolls into the deserted streets and the nocturnal animals gather for their lunch. Who arrives? Porcupine, fox, badger, moths, bats, possums, and cats. Where is the owl? Where is the mouse? The owl is the cook - making sandwiches, eggs, sausages, puddings, butter rolls and biscuits. You will also spy cinnamon scrolls in the illustrations and delicious looking pies. 

As dawn approaches the night lunch cart packs up. There are crumbs that need sweeping. Do you remember the mouse had a broom? 

Blurb from the author site: “Noses sniff the air as mouthwatering smells waft down city streets, luring growling bellies to the Night Owl. Inside this elegant, horse-drawn establishment, a feathery cook works the grill, serving up tasty dishes for shift-workers and opera-goers alike: a mince pie for Fox, a ham sandwich for Badger and puddings for little Possums. Mouse, a poor street sweeper, watches as the line of customers swells, ever hopeful that someone will drop a morsel of food — but Owl’s cooking is far too delicious for more than a crumb to be found. As the evening’s service winds down, weary Owl spots trembling Mouse. Has he found his own night lunch, or will he invite this small sweeper inside for a midnight feast for two?  From the imagination of two acclaimed picture book creators, together for the first time, this dreamlike picture book is a magical ode to Victorian lunch wagons. Evoking the sounds, sights, smells and tastes of the city at night, Night Lunch reveals how empathy and kindness as well as dignity and gratitude can be found — and savored — in the most unexpected places.”

Awards: 

• New York Times Best Illustrated Children's Books 2022
• 2022 Elizabeth Mrazik-Cleaver Canadian Picture Book Award.
• Quill & Quire’s Books of the Year.
• Powell’s Best Books of 2022.
• Indigo’s Best Kids Books.
• Chicago Public Library’s Best Picture Books

Night Lunch is a beautiful hardcover book, but I was happy to see it is available for less than AUS$25 here in Australia. 

Through verse with the cadence of a nursery rhyme, Night Lunch tells of a late-night food cart – drawn by a single white horse and operated by an enormous barn owl – that feeds the animal denizens of a Victorian city. Quill and Quire

Adults and children alike who appreciate a quiet read will enjoy the subtle nuances of the book and the soft warmth of the characters. This is a good choice for a pajama storytime or bedtime tale, though it may leave readers craving their own midnight snacks. Kirkus

I love what the art does with light here. It’s also a great book for any child who has a parent that’s a night worker. A fortuitous pairing in a strangely comforting little book.  Betsy Bird

I adore ALL books by the Fan Brothers and one day I will be able to buy Scarecrow (it is way too expensive here in Australia at AU$40).

Ocean Meets Sky

The Barnabus Project

Lizzy and the Cloud

It Fell from the Sky

And Dena Seiferling is the illustrator of this gem:

King Mouse

If you were Night by Mượn Thị Văn illustrated by Kelly Pousette

This book could be used as an exemplar to demonstrate the very best of picture books. The text is lyrical and reads like a poem and the illustrations invite you to linger and explore.

Each page begins with the words "if you were the night." 

Here is my favourite:

"If you were the night 

and you saw a spider scuttle and pull,

would you sweep aside the trap?

Or would you roll up your sleeves

and stitch by starlight, too?"

I love those delicious words - stitch by starlight. As you can see in this example, the provides two propositions for each question. Kelly Pousette creates her illustrations with layers of cut and folded paper. This reminded me of the art Soyeon Kim. 

A marvel of a nighttime book that is perfect for bedtime or camping outside. Waking Brain Cells

Publisher blurb from Kids Can Press: A poetic and evocative exploration of the natural world at night illustrated in illuminating paper-cut dioramas. This dreamlike picture book asks the question: if you were night, what would you do? If you saw the moon tiptoe past your window, would you nestle under the covers? Or would you step outside to follow it? What if you felt a tail brush your ankle, would you freeze? Or skitter away? And if you saw an owl swoop from a branch, would you hide? Or join the hunt? All the while, the child pictured in the book chooses adventure, and thrillingly experiences a night like no other. From the award-winning and acclaimed author Mượn Thị Văn comes a lyrical and evocative exploration of the natural world at night. The poetic language of the text engages all the senses as it gently poses questions that pull readers' imaginations outdoors, where night creatures roam and everything seems different. Kelly Pousette's intricate paper-cut dioramas, intriguingly presented with shadows and darkness falling around them, are packed with charming details for children to investigate. This unique and thought-provoking book is sure to encourage observation and spark curiosity --- and many conversations. A wonderful read-aloud or bedtime story. 

Here is an interview with Kelly Pousette from Canada. You can see other books by Muron Thi Van and also books illustrated by Kelly Pousette:

School Library Journal review by Betsy Bird