How Many Stars in the Sky?: A Picture Book About a Father-Son Journey for Children (Ages 4-8)

by Lenny Hort, James E. Ransome (Illustrator)

Mama's away one night, and her son can't sleep. He tries to relax by counting stars, but the more of them he sees, the more determined he is to count every single one... Then the boy finds that Daddy can't sleep either. Together, the two of them set off on an unforgettable all-night journey of discovery. "James E. Ransome's oil paintings complement Lenny Hort's poetic text perfectly." — Washington Post

Genres: Family, Picture Books, Realistic Fiction, Science, African American, Astronomy, Space

32 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 1991

Reviews

[LaDonna · Rating 2 out of 5]

The potential is there. I just do not think that it is fulfilled. A sweet tale about how, when and where one can see stars in the sky. However, I found the story a little convoluted and not as engaging as the description would lead you to believe.

[SaraLaLa · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little boy is home with his dad (mom is away) and it's bedtime. He randomly wonders how many stars are in the sky (no lead up to this question) and he thinks his mom would know the answer (uhhh.... riiight) but doesn't want to wake up his dad to ask him this question. So, he decides to go outside and start to count them. He doesn't ask his dad for permission to go out into the yard, or into the tree house. When his dad finds him out there, he's all calm and understanding (my parents would have called the cops worried that I was missing and then killed me upon my return) and says that if the boy's mom was around she'd know the answer (What?!? I can understand a kid thinking that, but an adult?). Then, they try to count the stars together. First, they go to places with more and more light pollution (EXCELLENT IDEA! :::eye roll:::) and lastly going to a desolate country side. Obviously, the story ends without a definitive number of stars counted.

Enough sarcasm. It's a sweet story of a boy bonding with his dad and enjoying nature. It's even kind of a teachable moment for the two of them, exploring science together (the affects of local light on the exploration of the stars, etc).

I loved how the artist portrayed moving cars zooming by or oncoming traffic approaching.

[Jane Maple · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little boy is trying to count all the stars in the sky. He goes into the backyard but the trees and streetlamps block out some of the stars. So he goes up into a treehouse and counts as many stars as he can see including the big dipper but as he continues he notices that the big dipper has moved. When the boy comes down from his treehouse he finds his dad who says that he also couldn't sleep and that mother will be back tomorrow. He suggests that there might be a better place to count stars and rives the boy into town. Because of the town lights they only count twenty-five or twenty-six (one they think might be Jupiter) The boy says it is a bad place for stars but the dad says it is a good place to count. The father drives into a city that looks like New York City. They see one star or maybe that is a plane. They go to the country where without the city lights and the fact that moon has set they can see so many stars including the milky way. They are now sleepy and go to sleep in the back of the truck under the stars. In the morning the boy confirms that the stars were still there even though we couldn't see them in the day light other than the one big star in the sky, the sun. The boy confirms with his dad that they can count stars another night and the father agrees and suggests next time they bring mom.

Nice to have a book that weaves in some scientific concepts and has minority protagonists.
Shipped

[Darlena Glenn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book might be a good pairing to other books about astronomy? I just read Buzz Aldrin's Look to the Stars that's why I say that. While nursery rhymes make stars mystical, like Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star and Star Light, Star Bright--this book makes stars something to be appreciated even though we wonder about the constellations and just their existence we would even try to count.

[Katie Sproles · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this book was a little too old for the group of kids I am with each day (K-4th). It was also a little long and I don't think there was a plot that was easy for the kids to follow along with. They didn't dislike it, but so far it's their least favorite of all the books I've read.

[Maeve · Rating 3 out of 5]

A young boy (missing his mother who's away on a business trip) goes out into his backyard to count all the stars. His father joins them, and they go on a ride to find out how many stars are in the sky.

[Emilee Ireland · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this was a really sweet book. I think the illustrations were so great and would be very appealing to kids especially because it of different "texture". I thought the story line was really cute and I would definitely have this in my classroom.

[Sage · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was very interesting. It shows the relationship between a father and his son, also how the father supports his son in counting the stars. Another thing I enjoyed about was the illustrations they matched the scenery.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

A boy wonders if he can count the stars, and his father takes him on a nighttime adventure to find out.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely. What joy to have a story about a healthy, loving, educated family who happen to be Black (looks like the US but I'm not sure). Highly recommended to all of you families.

[Jennifer Wadman · Rating 2 out of 5]

Rich paintings, curious and inquisitive son, a gentle father, and problem solving seem like solid ingredients but … the tale falls flat.

[Jessie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really lovely painted illustrations that do a good job of showing suburb, city, and country, as well as the relationship between a father and his son.

(And there's also so much love for the mother coming through, even while she's working and not home throughout the book!)

[Carl · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is so subtle, I read it twice because I underestimated it the first time. First of all, the paintings on a canvas are really gorgeous. Worth slowing down and appreciating.

The story of a boy and his father, exploring the night sky, wondering how many stars there are is a quiet story of strength. I just love how the father takes his son out, into the suburbs, into town, down to the city and eventually out to the country. What a warm relationship between these two characters. The title of the story leads you to think the story is about the stars, but for me the relationship between father and son is the heart of this book. This is clearly a father who loves his son. (Of course, taking his son out to the country to spend the night in the back of their pickup truck, I'm just going to assume that there was no school on the following day.) :)

At first, I missed what happened to the mother in the story, but she was out of town. She had an office downtown, so perhaps we can infer she was on a business trip. That's always nice to see a mother who has a career. This mother is also rather smart and she knows a lot about the sun and the stars (astronomy). She might be absent in the story, but she is present in the child's life.

This is an African American family, living in the suburbs, asking questions that many children ask. This is a loving father who helps his child learn without providing all the answers. I can imagine many children enjoying this book, having asked the same questions themselves.

[margeaux · Rating 4 out of 5]

“That’s Langston. That’s Daddy.” (L, pointing at the cover)

L likes this book because he can see himself on the pages.

The paintings are beautiful. The text is okay, and has been growing on me since L asks for this book often.

[Elizabeth]

The cadence of the narrative flows well, but I wasn't all that into this book. I can imagine that the dad drove the kid into the city with the idea that the car ride would be soothing (read: sleep-inducing), but my immediate reaction was, "The city is surely a terrible place to try to count stars, how do you not know that?" and the fact that the dad drives out into the country when the boy is already tired makes me feel like the dad is not all that attentive/attuned -- though if we believe him that he couldn't sleep (missing his wife), I suppose he could be doing this largely for himself as well.

[Restokes92]

This book is about a father and a son looking into the night sky and coutning the countless stars together. This book has great illustrations and ask the question that every person young or old ask themselves (how many stars are in the sky)at some point in time. This book is great for visual learners with it's captivating illustrations and can be used in class to mix ELA with science. I would use this when teaching students about stars by doing a read aloud and having the students write or make their own questions about the cosmos.

[Terri · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well-paced story about a boy trying to count the stars in the sky. It provides great opportunities for discussions with kids about why you can see more/fewer stars in the sky in different places and at different times. And bonus points for the gorgeous illustrations of an African American father and son setting out on a quest to find the answers together (and for the acknowledgement that mom, who is on a business trip, would likely know the answer off-hand!).

[Kris · Rating 4 out of 5]

There was a lot to like about this book. It depicts such a warm father-son relationship, in which the father tries to answer questions from his child without being dismissive. It was also nice to have a working mom mentioned without it being a huge part of the plot, just a matter-of-fact detail. The father and son are people of color, which adds a bit of diversity to the book that might have been just another nice story without the detailed, vibrant art.

[Alicia · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice book about a father and son counting stars. I liked the illustrations. I know it's just a story and you can call me an ol' fuddy duddy, but the only problem I had with it was the kid went outside by himself at night while his dad was supposedly asleep. The dad eventually comes outside and says he couldn't sleep.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

The true beauty of this book lies in the subtle and genuinely strong relationship shared between father and son. When his son wonders how many stars there, his father doesn't dismiss his anxieties (missing his mother) or wonder (thoughts on the stars). Instead, he offers solutions for counting the stars to his sleepless son in this gentle and loving story. Highly recommended.

[Cecoiya Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a great read. I think this would be idea to read to young boys who love their moms. This book told a story of a young boy who's mom went away for the night. In her absence he counted stars. This will also be a great seg way to introducing students to stars and correlations.

[James Mead · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book. We looked through it in our Science course and it did a good job introducing stars and what they really are. There is nice setting with the boy who can't sleep and neither can his father so they stay out late and look for stars. They end up counting until they fall asleep.

[Autumn Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this story. It teaches the importance of family time and it also teaches about stars in the sky. I loved how realistic the pictures were in this book. I plan to have this in my classroom, because I feel that this is just a comforting book.

[Sha-Quita Jordan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book from beginning to end. I would read this to first-third graders.

[zar · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was cool. There are probably 10,000 stars in the sky.

[BookeryBliss · Rating 5 out of 5]

A touching story of a father and son's pursuit to count all of the stars in the sky. The graphics are excellent which really helps make this book a very beautiful one.

[Candace Carr]

I would read this book to a fourth grade class on a unit about stars and their attributes. This book would be read when showing students about the appearance of stars and their patterns.

[Connor Robertson · Rating 4 out of 5]

K-3
Astronomy, Light Pollution

[Quinn · Rating 4 out of 5]

- learned about stars
- learned about light pollution subtly
- a bond between father and son
- got to show them how big space is

[Emily Molina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Grades K-3
Topic: night sky