How the Stars Came To Be

by Poonam Mistry

Have you ever wondered how the stars came to be in the sky?
 
The Fisherman’s Daughter loved to dance in the sunlight, and bathe in the glow of the moon. But when the moon disappeared for a few nights each month, she worried about her father and how he would find his way home from the sea in the deep darkness. When the sun finds her sobbing one night, he takes one of his rays and shatters it onto the ground, creating the stars and giving the girl the task of putting them into the dark night sky. This beautifully illustrated story gives us a new folk tale, and a new way to look up at the night sky.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Fiction, Fantasy, Art, Mythology, Middle Grade

32 pages, Hardcover

First published March 24, 2020

About the author

My name is Poonam Mistry and I am a freelance Illustrator currently living in the UK.

My style incorporates my love of nature and explores the relationships between pattern, shapes and colour creating beautifully intricate illustrations. Being brought up surrounded by Indian fabrics, paintings and ornaments have heavily influenced my work. Folklore tales and stories of Hindu Gods and Goddesses have been a rich source of inspiration in a number of my illustrations. My pieces are predominantly hand drawn with alterations made using PhotoShop. Currently I am working on a selection of children’s books.

Reviews

[Carmen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ein wunderschön illustriertes Buch!

[Kathryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I encountered Poonam Mistry's art for the first time in You're Snug with Me, I knew I had found a new favorite illustrator and quickly tracked down all her books in my library district. This is the last of them and it did not disappoint. The illustrations are absolutely phenomenal -- so captivating and gorgeous. Mistry's style so perfectly lends itself to this (original, I believe) fable about how a young girl placed stars in the heavens as way to help guide her fisherman father home on moonless nights. If you love the cover art, don't hesitate to check out this book -- or anything illustrated by this mega-talented artist! I could imagine many people wanting to frame her work it is that special. I'm not sure I would give five stars to the story itself, but with the illustrations I really can't do anything but give a five star rating.

[Ellie Abrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

How the Stars Came to Be is a beautifully illustrated story of a girl who is concerned about her father (a fisherman) getting home safely at night when the moon is not present in the sky. This is a lovely traditional tale which provides an alternative, yet enchanting, reason for the stars coming to exist in the sky.

‘Girl’ persists through adversity and difficult situations to complete the tasks she has set herself, even though she knows this is going to take an extremely long time. Therefore, this story would be helpful for illustrating to children that when a great deal of effort and care is put into a project or activity, there are great rewards.

This would be a useful story for increasing the diversity of traditional tales and literature in the classroom. As well as this, although not accurate, this story would be very helpful for discussing the variety of stories and explanations there are for the origins of the earth and other celestial bodies. As such, links could be made with the PSHE curriculum for introducing tolerance and respect for one another’s belief systems.

[SheReads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reviewed for YA Books Central

Beautiful in every aspect.

The book: This is a story about how the sun helped a little girl light up the sky in the absence of the moon at night. She feared her father wouldn't find his way home without a light to guide him. So, the sun sends stars scattering them to the earth, and the girl's job is to place them deliberately in the sky to light up the world.

What I loved: Everything. First, the illustrations. I can't say enough about how completely beautiful this book is. Its look is unique and intriguing, adding to the sweet story. There's a lesson in these pages despite it being a short children's story. When the monkey steals the stars and splashes them across the dark sky in what's called a "smudge" that leads her father home just as much as the carefully and mindfully placed stars.

There is nothing to dislike in these pages. Absolutely nothing.

Final Verdict: A beautiful story for children from the illustrations to the story.

[Mr Bramley · Rating 4 out of 5]

The illustrations in this are beyond stunning!

It reminds me of a mix of traditional art from different cultures: I can see Indian Mehndi style influences, patterns that resemble West African cloth, and details on the animals that remind be of Australian Indigenous art also.

I'm an absolute sucker for traditional tales from around the world, and to see new tales that carry those same feelings so beautifully is rare. I like how it mixes modern understanding of the world (the stars literally being tiny suns for example) with common tropes of traditional folklore, such as the mischievous monkey.

This book would be a great way to compare world folklore with newer stories, just as modern variations on fairytale are used.

[mariammm ( •_•)]

i rlly wanted to read this book for the illustrations but i didn't wanna buy it without reading it bc i'm broke. so i tried to read it online but i couldn't find it as a pdf anywhere. then i found a youtube video of a woman reading it aloud and holding the pages up to the camera. the illustrations are so much more beautiful than i thought they would be so now i'm definitely going to buy it.
this is a childrens book but it looks so pretty :')
thank you kate buchanan for the youtube video ily 💕

[Nicoswan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely gorgeous illustrations! I highly recomend for anyone who enjoys visual art. The story is beautiful as well. I love traditional stories being published and shared in a way that isn't appropriative. Thank you for this wonderful publication.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bring out all the adjectives and accolades for the visually-stunning illustrations in this picture book. Every page contains ornate artwork that is drawn by hand and then aided with Photoshop. There are sparking stars, shimmering pieces of fabric, and flowing locks of hair carefully placed on the pages. In some respects it's hard to focus on the story, an original folktale, because the images are so mesmerizing. In this origin story, the Fisherman's Daughter is concerned that her father won't be able to return home on those dark nights when the Moon isn't visible, leaving him and others completely in the dark. The Sun takes pity on her and shatters a golden ray into many pieces, which she is tasked with placing in the sky. The Fisherman's Daughter has an eye for patterns and carefully considers where each one should go, creating certain patterns as she works. However, a monkey steals her bag of glittering pieces at one point, and when the two of them fight over the bag, the rest of the shards spill into the sky, ruining her patterns but lighting the way for her father. Clearly, this explains why some stars form certain images while others seem to have been placed randomly in the sky. Fans of traditional tales will enjoy this story as will anyone who has ever gazed up into the sky in wonder at the impossible-to-count twinkling orbs high above them.

[Alsjem · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beauuuutiful illustrations

[Lina Cankas · Rating 5 out of 5]

My child loved this book. Read read and read again and again. Dad's boat in the illuminating girl's eyes, and my child said: 'mommy's boat in her eyes'!.

[Wendy]

This book is pure beauty! I am in love with the amazing illustratons, and the short story is so heartwarming. A perfect book to just flip trough now and again when you need some beauty in your life.

[Baylie · Rating 5 out of 5]

How the Stars Came To Be is about the story of a Fisherman's daughter who was worried about her father when the moon was not in the sky. She worried that without the light of the moon, he would not be able to see to get back home. In this story, the sun sends down a ray of light that shatters, and the daughter is told to place them in the sky to provide light for her father. After making many pictures of animals from the bag of stars she collected, a monkey steals the bag and spills them all over the sky. This made the sky so bright that she could see her father finally returning home.
This book falls under the genre of folklore and is suitable for grades second through fifth. In the upper grades of third through fifth, this would be more suitable as a read aloud but it could also be used for independent reading. This book could be used in the classroom for a unit about constellations because of the way that the fisherman's daughter made animals in the sky. Another idea to use in the classroom related to this text would be to identify the main idea and use supporting details to explain it. Since the main idea in most folklore pieces is clear and focused, this could be used in a grade like third grade when they are just beginning to refine their comprehension strategies. This book should be introduced for this genre because it is a perfect example of folklore with images that seem to fit the way that the story is told, making it easier to understand. What resonated with from this text is that although the monkey spilling the bag of stars messed up her original art of the animals painted across the sky, it actually solved the problem that she was worried about because now the sky was bright enough for her father to see to return home. I just think that this is a good message aside from the intended use in this tale because good things can come from situations that are not ideal.

[Sarah Rogers · Rating 4 out of 5]

This folktale tells the origin story of how the stars we see in the sky and constellations came to be what they are. The story is that a girl is afraid for her father, a fisherman, finding his way home when the moon does not shine any light down during its new moon phase. Seeing her crying and in anguish, the sun asks her what is wrong and offers to help. In helping the sun sends down a ray at the earth to her which shatters into tons of pieces. The girl then has to place the pieces in the sky to give her father the light he needs at night. It explains how she placed the north star to always lead him north, and the other stars in perfect consolations of animals who wanted their portrait in the sky. She realizes that she has made tons of placements and has so many stars left. However, there is a monkey who has been watching her the whole time who steals her bag of stars. When she chases after him he throws the stars to the sky placing them imperfectly unlike her placements. However, the stars make the perfect guiding light for her father and shine beautifully in the sky, even though they are not placed in her perfect manner. This story has some of the most beautiful artwork, and gives children a great way to think about how the stars got to be in the places they are in, and why they make the constellations they do. The art is a dark and brilliant way

[Lara · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book got me searching out a new picture book illustrator. A fellow librarian and I stumbled on it in a bookshop as we were traveling. She got a copy... and then we went back later and I got a copy too. And began looking up what else Mistry has done. What can I say - I'm not ashamed to buy pretty picture books for my own personal grown-up library! And if it's a mythology/folk lore sort of story? Even better!

This is just a great balance on a folk-tale style story (I think it's original) and absolutely breathtaking artwork. The details in the patterns making up the larger pictures, the colors shining on the dark pages, the way this all enhances the story itself... it's just a great experience to read. It's a unique art style, with lots of world influences evident, and just so.. so.. pretty. Definitely recommend for any other fans of really pretty picture books, and/or mythology and world tales.

[Susanna Bullmam · Rating 5 out of 5]

This beautifully illustrated story recount how the stars may have the stars became. The story itself is very simple but what makes this book shine are the illustrations I spent much longer than the time it took to read the text just absorbing these beautiful illustrations. The artwork reminds me of Henna artwork and this makes sense as the artist is from an Indian background , though also makes me think of aboriginal dot painting too this but these similarities , this similarity and the fact that people from around the globe have told stories of how our celestial bodies came to be only highlight, that there is more that connects us then decides us and we need to come to Heather as one people under the Sun Moon and stars that shine above us.

I am very tempted to get a second copy to frame some of these beautiful pictures to display on my wall . I am giving this book 5 stars for its beautiful illustrations.

[Danielle Marzen]

This book is absolutely stunning, and the story is captivatingly beautiful as well. This is a "new" folktale, told by Poonam Mistry in 2020. Mistry incorporates her Indian roots into her art, and draws from Indian folklore to create this tale. In the story, a fisherman's daughter worries he won't be able to find his way home when the moon disappears, so the sun helps her to make the stars to guide him home.

"How the Stars Came to Be" is a great read aloud for K-5, and could be read independently by older student (4-5). This story would be a great mentor text for using pictures to tell a story, or to help our writing tell a story- especially for younger students. For older students, this would be a great way to have them practice making their own folktales!

[Sal · Rating 5 out of 5]

A girl fears for her fisherman father’s safety on the nights of no moon. The Sun, seeing her distress, sends her millions of shining pieces of light. She carefully places the stars in the sky, creating pictures of animals. But there are so many of them! A mischievous monkey steals the stars, and in the ensuing struggle all the stars fly up into the sky.
It is an interesting creation story, but what sets this book apart are the illustrations. Reminiscent of Indian tapestries, the artwork dazzles. They are colorful, intricate, and invite careful study.
That the illustrations are paramount is evident in the choices of font colors, which tend to be darkish shades, and at times can be a trifle difficult to read. But they do not detract from the artwork. (Ages 3 and up)

[Cathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

As so many others here have already said, this is a stunning picture book. The illustrations are so vibrant and beautifully woven together with the relatively simple story of a girl placing stars in the sky to guide her father home. Each page is rich with detail and there are some amazing spreads, my favourite, one with all the animal shapes in the stars she has placed. It all works perfectly to create a visually absorbing fable.

[Nathalie Pauwels · Rating 4 out of 5]

The art work is the main attraction of the book, and it's intricate and stunning. What sets the book apart is how the text fits in the illustrations. With many a children's book the text is placed almost randomly on the page ruining the power of the illustrations. Here the text is almost part of the pagefilling illustrations making beautifully designed pages.

[Alicia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't normally count Children's books in my totals for the year, but I am this time because the illustrations are so incredibly breathtaking. The story is cute and will add nice diversity to any shelf!

[Sarah S · Rating 4 out of 5]

So beautiful! It's a simple folktale-type story and the illustrations make it outstanding. The intricate characters and backgrounds are enchanting. The detail will absorb older kids. I'm sure people will be giving this book as a gift for birthdays and holidays.

[Isabel Bryan [the Bookmark Hoarder] · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the art style! I like how the story is very folktale-ish.

I would liked some background on whether it was inspired by specific folktales or if it was just written like an origin story folktale. And some of the text was difficult to see since it blended in with the pages so well.

[Angela · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book arrived in the library I work (we receive promotional copies of childrens' books).
The cover immediately caught my eye, and the entire book is beautiful. Stunning and intricate illustrations, with a very sweet story to boot.
Had I received this as a child, I would have been ecstatic.

[Dustin Boggs · Rating 5 out of 5]

A cute story of a daughters genisis of constelstions and the milky way to guide her fisherfather home lavisly illustrated. The deluxe edition very well produced with clothbind, sewn metalic embossed all fantastically priced

[Lingwijournal · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just saw this book on the shelves in the bookshop and fell in love with it visually. Stunning and beautiful.

[Fae Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

The artwork was beautiful and the story was touching. I really enjoyed this book

[Edward Sullivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A stunningly illustrated story about the origin of the night sky.

[Jo Swenson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A cute story accompanied by stunning illustrations.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars. The illustrations are different from most picture books, but that is what makes the book extra special.