Nora's Stars (Sandcastle)

This book has really lovely illustrations and a magical imaginary story. Nora is visiting her grandmother and is learning about the wonders of a plum tree, a turtle and hibiscus flowers, all things that are new and exciting to her. After a busy day, as she's in bed, the toys from her grandmother's youth come alive and hop out of an old trunk that is in the bedroom with Nora. (...). It's a simple story, happily dreamlike, nothing scary, just a wonderful flight of fancy before drifting off to sleep. The illustrations are enchanting, sparkling like a night sky. The wakeful toys are charming and Nora's thorough but unselfish enjoyment of the stars makes for a comforting and positive idea to savor in those last moments before sleep. Stellar!

A good test for a children's book is whether a toddler recalls the book and asks for it about 2 months after it was last read to her. By this standard, "Nora's Stars" receives an A. My 3.5 year old daughter asked for it last night and was disappointed to learn that we had returned it to the library a while back. The story gently flows from the commonplace-- visiting grandma -- to a magical event, and back again. There are no frightening creatures or disturbing events. Its an almost perfect bedtime story. And the illustrations are engagingly beautiful too!