My Friend, the Starfinder

Inspired by a storytelling elder from her own childhood, children's author George Ella Lyon has crafted this poetic tale of a young girl's friendship with an elderly neighbor, who sits on his porch and spins tall tales. From the falling star he caught one day, to the rainbow "bath" that he experienced, but was unable to keep - save as a story to be passed on to others - the old man transports the girl with his fantastic flights of fancy.

I don't know, all told, that I was completely won over by My Friend, the Starfinder - certainly not to the same extent as the friend who recommended it to me - but I am glad that I picked it up, because I thought the artwork, done by Stephen Gammell in pastel, watercolor, pencil and gouache, was really show more quite interesting. It was the cover illustration, in fact, that convinced me to give this one a try. There is an arresting quality to these paintings, I find, that holds my attention, even when some of the elements (the depiction of the human faces) are not really to my taste. I love the splatters of color, and the use of light! Still this was a mixed bag for me - I appreciated the idea of the narrative more than the narrative itself - so my rating is a low three stars, and my recommendation is primarily for the artwork. show less

I liked this book a lot. The illustrations were my favorite component. The book is not illustrated with realistic colors, but it adds to the story. This is very true to the definition of a picture book in that the pictures are necessary to tell the story. The illustrations switch colors based on if it’s the present or the past being told. There is also a large amount of figurative language, like “[the star] was warm and smooth as an egg straight from the hen” and “when all of a sudden he saw his hand purple as a church window.” The text is written like poetry and it keeps the reader captivated. The stories that are told make the reader imagine bigger ideas that go beyond normal understanding. Perspective is broadened outside show more the typical box of truth and accurate storytelling. The big idea of the book is that it is important to tell stories from your life, even if the details don’t seem realistic. show less

This is the story of a young girl listening to her neighbor tell elaborate stories about catching stars and rainbows. The imagery and word choice create this surreal experience that leaves the reader wishing they too could catch stars. I loved this story because of the beautiful images the illustrator creates. The author also does a great job of using literary devices to guide the reader along on this magical journey. This is a fun book that I really enjoyed. If I were to use this book as a mentor text I would use it to teach literary devices such as metaphors and similes. The author uses these many times throughout the text. I also feel this would be a great mentor text when teaching students about the power of pictures in connection show more with words. We could even talk about adding details to pictures and how the pictures themselves can tell a story even without words. show less

This creative and imaginative book enchants its readers with its words but also with the paintings. The author/illustrator duo does a fantastic job of using the illustrations to help the story come to life.

In the story, a young girl is romanced by her neighbor's stories about finding stars.

This book I did not quite understand the first time around. It is a tale about a little girl who befriends an older man who claims he has caught a star, and eventually gives her the star to hold too. Its a great little book about friendship, and how friendship has no limits. I wouldn't say it is one of my favorite books I have ever read, but it has its moments that make you smile.

This story is told by a little girl. She tells about an old man she calls her friend. He sat on his porch and would tell her stories. Her friend tells her how he found a falling star, when he picked it up it was "warm and smooth" and it was "glassy, blackish green". At the end there is an author's note saying she wrote this story based on a man she knew.

I liked this story. I liked her use of descriptive words about the fallen star. The watercolor illustrations were interesting as well.

This book talks about a meteor found by one of the characters. You could bring a small chunk of a meteor and discuss this in class. You could also talk about learning and listening to people older than the students. Older people have interesting show more stories to tell and you could encourage these relationships of respect. show less

Beautiful, etherial illustrations; even more lovely story of a multigenerational friendship.