On a Starry Night

by Natalie Kinsey-Warnock, David McPhail (Illustrator)

On a scary, magical, starry night, a young girl, out to watch stars with her mother, finds herself sailing away on Pegasus' back, all fears forgotten, flying higher than any nighthawk and past whirling stars and planets

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens

32 pages, Hardcover

First published March 1, 1994

About the author

My sister, three brothers, and I grew up on a Vermont dairy farm in a region known as the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont, USA, where my Scottish ancestors settled almost two hundred years ago.

Our lives revolved around our church, our community, and the hard work of farming. Along with milking and feeding the animals each morning and evening, there was the work of each season: maple sugaring, plowing, picking stone, planting, haying, corn-cutting, harvest, cutting wood.

While my parents lives were consumed by farming and providing for their children, they managed to pass on much more to us. My mother, a teacher, instilled in us a love of books and reading, and a curiosity about everything, while my father, besides being an excellent athlete, has also encouraged our interest in the natural world, whether it was identifying birds, trees and wildflowers, or pointing out constellations on a starry night.

My book As Long As There Are Mountains is based on my childhood and my love of the farm, the land, and the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont.

Reviews

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

What is a better education than a starry night on a hill? The sky is wide open and when Papa tosses her up in the air she is one with all the night and it's creatures. Such dreamy imagery...

[Children's Librarian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely lyrical language and dreamy, dark illustrations.

Could be a perfect nighttime book for some children, some may find it a little scary with a bear opening its mouth near the child's feet, a pack of coyotes with yellow teeth, all on dark spreads...

Very nice, but perhaps not for every child. It is not made to be a scary story as such, but it might not be the right story for every child.

On the other hand, many adults may find it nostalgic.

[Tess Adone · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit more of a flight of fancy than Kinsey-Warnock's other picture books, but still a nice story.

[jacky · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is another book my district literacy specialist read aloud to me either in class or at a faculty meeting. She never read us the end of this one though.:(

[Heather Edrington · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has nice illustrations. It would be good for teaching young children about the sights and sounds of the night. The characters have strong family connections.

[Rani · Rating 5 out of 5]

#YoungReaders #PictureBook #Farm Spending the #night on the hill in the farm is an exciting adventure. Perfect mixture of realism and #fantasy for youngest readers.