THE STAR IN THE FOREST

An energetic young girl’s thirst for adventure leads to an unexpected (but not unwelcome) outcome.

Maisie and her older sister, Pip, are visiting their grandparents in a wooded region depicted in muted watercolor swaths of blue-grays, green-browns, and golden yellow-browns that mingle amid sketchy pencil lines. Both girls love stargazing, but Maisie would prefer a “SPECTACULAR adventure”—and she gets one after seeing a “bright flash” of pink and yellow in the sky. Vignettes capture Maisie’s eagerness to head outside as she pulls a sweater over her head and runs full tilt off the page, flashlight in hand. The book’s large trim size accommodates both further vignettes of the sisters bravely making their way through the dark woods and rich double-page spreads surveying the girls from a distance through the eyes of foxes, owls, and other woodland creatures as they approach the site of the mysterious flash. When they reach it, Maisie’s quick to feel disappointed, but Pip’s careful examination yields an exciting discovery that helps Maisie appreciate the full events of their evening. Both the illustrations and plot are favorably reminiscent of Beatrice Alemagna’s modern yet whimsical forays into nature and the transformations that occur from unhurried, focused observation. All humans depicted are short and round with fluffy hair, pointy noses, and skin the color of the uncoated white pages.

A charming, gorgeously illustrated ode to sisterhood, adventure, and mindfulness.