Bright Star

by Yuyi Morales

A Pura Belpré Illustrator Honor Book
Winner of the Tomás Rivera Mexican Children’s Book Award

Inspiring, reassuring, and beautifully illustrated, this new story from the creator of the New York Times bestseller Dreamers is the perfect gift for every child.

A New York Times Best Children’s Book of the Year

With the combination of powerful, spare language and sumptuous, complex imagery characteristic of her work, Yuyi Morales weaves the tale of a fawn making her way through a landscape that is dangerous, beautiful—and full of potential. A gentle voice urges her onward, to face her fears and challenge the obstacles that seek to hold her back.

Child, you are awake!
You are alive!
You are a bright star,
Inside our hearts.

With a voice full of calm, contemplative wisdom, readers are invited to listen and observe, to accept themselves—and to dare to shout!

In a world full of uncertainty, Bright Star seeks to offer reassurance and courage. Yuyi Morales' first book since her New York Times bestseller Dreamers explores the borderlands—the plants, animals, and insects that make their home in the desert, and the people who live and travel through this unique and beautiful part of the world.

Created with a combination of techniques including hand-embroidered lettering, painting, sketching, digital paintings with textures from photographs of the Sonoran Desert, this stunning book is full of beauty—from the handwoven blanket of the endpapers through the last inspiring spread of young families facing their future with determination and hope.

A Spanish language edition, Lucero, is also available.

A People Magazine Best Kids Book of the Year
A Washington Post Best Children's Book of the Year
An NPR 'Book We Love!'
A Kirkus Reviews Best Picture Book of the Year
An ALSC Notable Children's Book
A CCBC Choice
A CBC/NCSS Notable Social Studies Trade Book
A CSMCL Best Multicultural Children's Book of the Year
An Evanston Public Library Great Books for Kids pick!

Genres: Picture Books, Animals, Childrens, Nature, Latinx, Family, Social Justice

40 pages, Hardcover

First published September 7, 2021

About the author

Yuyi Morales is the illustrator of Kathleen Krull’s Harvesting Hope: The Story of Cesar Chavez, whose accolades include a Pura Belpré Award and a Christopher Medal, as well as the Pura Belpré Award-winning Los Gatos Black on Halloween by Marisa Montes. Born and raised in Mexico, she now lives in northern California.

Reviews

[Rod Brown · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is like so many picture books on my project list (see below) and maybe picture books in general nowadays. Instead of just being able to pull it off a shelf and read it to your child, it requires a parent to read the story in advance, read and study the endnotes, use Google translate to research unfamiliar words, and come up with a study plan of how to present the material to a child who is probably just going to wonder where the deer went.

I get wanting to introduce important topics to children, but I'm not sure this is the best way to engage either the parent or the child.


(Another project! I'm reading all the picture books and graphic novels from NPR's Books We Love 2021: Kids’ Books list.)

[Shari (Shira) · Rating 3 out of 5]

A September Mock Caldecott book selection. It's one of those books that adults like. I don't think kids are going to like it as much.

[Matal “The Mischling Princess” Baker · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Bright Star” was written and illustrated by Yuyi Morales. The story focuses on the deserts,specifically on a juvenile animal, and later pivots to young children.

I love Morales’ artwork and I am in love with the fact that she incorporate embroidery throughout the book. Overall, this is a very cute children’s book.

[Ms. B · Rating 3 out of 5]

An allegory about refugees, this is a bilingual picture book. Animals flee. Do they find a new home? Are they safe? What will happen to them? Even though there is a message of hope, we are not sure if the animals find a new home.

[Kellee Moye · Rating 5 out of 5]

This beautiful book is a guide to life and an ode to parenthood & community. The use of second person engages the reader in a way that wouldn’t have happened without this choice. This moves the reader and really sets the mood of the book and makes it an excellent read aloud! The book is alsoabout facing fears, all types of fears that may come a child’s way during their life. But it also promotes students advocating for their feelings and using their voice to share what they feel. All of this in a beautifully illustrated, scarcely (but specifically) worded text. This shows what a brilliant author and illustrator Yuyi Morales is.

Full review with teaching tools: http://www.unleashingreaders.com/?p=2...

[Becket · Rating 5 out of 5]

So beautiful I don't even have words for it. The lyricism! The emotion! The attention to detail! The textures and colors and EMBROIDERED LETTERING! This deserves to be widely read by kids (and adults), not to mention covered in awards stickers.

[superawesomekt · Rating 1 out of 5]

I love Yuyi Morales' art always and forever, but frankly found this book bewildering.

[Saffron Moon · Rating 5 out of 5]

At the back of the book, Yuyi Morales listed many reasons why she made this book, and those reasons greatly touched my heart, deepening my appreciation for this beautiful book.

[Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the Sonoran desert and this book captures so perfectly the colors and beauty of the plants, animals, insects, birds, and also the children that live there.

[Ashley Adams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yuyi Morales' tribute to all of the beautiful life at the border between the United States and Mexico. A message of love to all of the natural children who may have been separated from their families by unnatural constructs.

[Marissa Elera · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yuyi does it again. I'd follow her any where she goes.

[Ellon · Rating 2 out of 5]

I feel like this book got a lot of hype but I really just didn't care for it. The story is hard to understand. The author notes help to make it make sense but I think a story should make sense without having the read the end pages. There are some Spanish words mixed in and they aren't all super easy to figure out with context clues, nor is there a glossary. I did think the illustrations were absolutely beautiful, until you get to the end and there are humans. The humans looked a little creepy to me. I do think this is a book that adults will like but kids won't and those bug me a bit. All in all, not a book for me.

[Peacegal · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a lovely book, filled with stunning illustrations that celebrate the wildlife, environment, and people of the U.S.-Mexico borderlands.

Spanish vocabulary mingles with English, and I always appreciate a positive depiction of deer, who are graceful and complex animals who are too often dismissed as simply targets or pests. There is also a genuine nod to the way border walls are destroying habitat and harming wildlife.

A section in the back, geared toward adults and older children, explores the themes in a more up-front way.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

A painfully beautiful picture book about a doe and fawn separated by a wall. The illustrations are stunning and the message is heartbreaking. A picture book for all ages.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

brilliant and tender hearted. can't wait to share this with the children in my life.

[IvyInThePages · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rating: 5 leaves out of 5
Characters: 5/5
Cover: 5/5
Story: 5/5
Writing: 5/5
Genre: Children
Type: Book
Worth?: Yes

[Laura Harrison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Embroidered lettering? I’m all in on that. Beautiful book that really makes you think.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely mixed media illustrations paired with simple but beautiful text, interspersed with Spanish words and phrases.

[Danielle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Truly extraordinary by an extraordinary creator in the field whose heart shines in each project.

[Zoraida · Rating 5 out of 5]

Children's Book Shelf review tk...

[Meredith · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this as a Bambi moment - mom got shot - that ran up (literally) against a border wall and then left me confused. Morales' endnotes are lovely - as are her embroidered letters - but this didn't work for m.e

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yuyi’s inimitable voice and art combine to tell a moving story about the borderlands: their flora, fauna, and people. Breathtakingly beautiful and poignant.

[Viviana · Rating 2 out of 5]

Started out so lovely lol
Art 4 stars

[Kris Patrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love anything with baby animals but I don't think kids would enjoy as a read-aloud.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful storytime book for young children.

[June · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful picture book of a fawn in the borderlands between Mexico and the US. The fawn is encouraged during its first steps, then runs into a wall and is told to voice shout its feelings and imagine a better world.

In the backmatter Morales tells why she made this book and how she wants to show the beauty of the border that will be destroyed if America continues building a wall and destroying habitat.

"I want you to know that no matter where you are, where you've come from, or where you are going, you should always be honored, respected, cared for and loved"

[Pam · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a picture book, written with a mix of Spanish and English words. The illustrations are stunning. The story was supposed to address the issues of safety and belonging in a time and place where immigrants are unwelcome in the U.S. and the “wall” presents cultural, as well as physical barriers. I’m not sure it achieves the lofty purposes the author envisioned, but it’s a tender book about keeping a fawn safe in its natural desert environment.

[Michele Knott · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is deceptively beautiful. The artwork is amazing (as to be expected).
As I read it, my thinking constantly changed. I was always asking, what is it telling me? What is it really about.
And then I read the backmatter and had to go back for an immediate reread.

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beauty and pain near the Mexico/US border. Embroidered lettering, weaving, painting and digital artwork combine for gorgeous art showing animals and plants. The text is lyrical, includes some Spanish. Art and text evoke fear as unseen construction and wall appear, but there is also comfort in the language and soft colors. Turning the page from the fawn curled up and peering at the reader to the child sitting among the same flowers, peering over her shoulder and looking pensive grabs at your heart. A poignant reminder of the ecological harm of border walls and the harm to peoples needing a safe place and hope.

[Maureen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I selected this book for it's illustrations, which are luminous, but the message is yes, important. I am glad you made this book to show us a beautiful area, with amazing creatures and how they and the people there have been affected by border walls and intrusion.