Blue Sky White Stars

by Sarvinder Naberhaus, Kadir Nelson (Illustrator)

Overview

An inspiring and patriotic tribute to the beauty of the American flag, a symbol of America’s history, landscape, and people, illustrated by New York Times bestselling and Caldecott-honor winning artist Kadir Nelson

Wonderfully spare, deceptively simple verses pair with richly evocative paintings to celebrate the iconic imagery of our nation, beginning with the American flag. Each spread, sumptuously illustrated by award-winning artist Kadir Nelson, depicts a stirring tableau, from the view of the Statue of Library at Ellis Island to civil rights marchers shoulder to shoulder, to a spacecraft at Cape Canaveral blasting off.  This book is an ode to America then and now, from sea to shining sea.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780803737006
Publisher:	Penguin Young Readers Group
Publication date:	06/13/2017
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	167,838
Product dimensions:	11.10(w) x 11.20(h) x 0.50(d)
Lexile:	NP (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Sarvinder Naberhaus is the author of Boom Boom and the forthcoming Lines. She was born in India and grew up in the heartland of America. She lives in Iowa with her family.

Kadir Nelson is an acclaimed artist and the illustrator of several New York Times bestselling picture books, including his authorial debut We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball, which won a Coretta Scott King Award and a Sibert Medal. Kadir has received three additional Coretta Scott King Awards and five Coretta Scott King honors. He has also received two Caldecott Honors, for Henry's Freedom Box: A True Story from the Underground Railroad and Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom, and has twice received the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work.

Editorial Reviews

★ 04/17/2017
Nelson’s (If You Plant a Seed) dazzling paintings bring life and power to Naberhaus’s (Boom Boom) understated patriotic tribute. Several spreads place dramatic American scenery beside images of the nation’s flag. The words “Blue sky/ White stars” accompany a view of the Statue of Liberty seen against a star-studded night sky. On the facing page, the words reappear, this time against the blue ground and white stars of the flag. Some lines use homophonic wordplay to striking effect: a portrait of a seamstress at work (Betsy Ross, perhaps?) appears with the words “Sew together/ Won nation.” On the facing page, a quiltlike conglomeration of faces bears the words “So together/ One nation.” Nelson’s splendid images of the American experience—the Grand Canyon, triumphant civil rights protestors, astronauts on the surface of the moon, a proud African-American veteran, and more—stir real feeling. They include Americans of every age and ethnicity, and many readers will feel that this book looks like the America they know. Ages 4–8. Author’s agent: Ammi-Joan Paquette, Erin Murphy Literary. Illustrator’s agent: Steven Malk, Writers House. (June)

Publishers Weekly

Praise for Blue Sky, White Stars

* "Many readers will feel that this book looks like the America they know." —Publishers Weekly, starred review

* "Though ostensibly a picture book for younger children, this has the ability to reach a much broader audience, and spark discussion of hopes and fears. It’s hard to imagine a book better suited to this time." —Booklist, starred review

* "Naberhaus and Nelson give new life to Old Glory for the youngest of readers." —Kirkus, starred review

* "Timely homage to the relationship among America's majesty, its hopefulness and diversity, and its flag." —School Library Journal, starred review

From the Publisher

★ 05/01/2017
K-Gr 2—Naberhaus, an Indian American immigrant, and Nelson, an African American illustrator, collaborate on this timely homage to the relationship among America's majesty, its hopefulness and diversity, and its flag. Beginning with iconic images of the country (rows of autumn-burnished trees, a white trail of wagons moving west under the blue sky), the spreads feature descriptive phrases paired with illustrations that depict all types of Americans who enjoy the freedoms that the flag represents. The phrase "sew together won nation" is accompanied by an image of a white colonial woman stitching a flag, while the facing page displays an image portraying diverse faces ("so together one nation"). A baseball stadium is captioned "all American" and is juxtaposed with an African American man and grandson listening to the game on the radio—an American flag flying from their porch, a box of Cracker Jacks in hand, a cap emblazoned with "World War II veteran"; they are "all American," too. The raising of a flag and the launch of a rocket are paired with the phrase "rising up," followed by a determined eagle, the flag, and that same rocket "fly(ing) high." And when the rocket gets to the moon, the first thing planted there is a flag, which will be there "forever." History is written by the winners, and this title shows us that the symbols we value cross the barriers of race and ethnicity, making winners of us all. Naberhaus's short phrases are well chosen and evocative, but it is Nelson's paintings that bring power to this title—even the back cover holds a special treat. VERDICT A star-spangled entry, brilliantly illustrated by a national treasure. Highly recommended.—Lisa Lehmuller, Paul Cuffee Maritime Charter School, Providence

School Library Journal

★ 2017-03-15
Sparsely worded and rich in symbols, this oversize picture book speaks boldly, both visually and textually.From the beginning, Nelson's artistically vibrant images make clear associations between the elements of the American flag and both what they symbolize and the diverse cast of individuals who have contributed, in the past and present, to the freedoms we all enjoy as Americans. Naberhaus' paired homophones, when considered with the illustrations, echo historical truths. For instance, "Sew together / Won nation," with a young Betsy Ross sewing the first flag, appears across the gutter from "So together / One nation," with a crowd of Americans displaying different ethnic, racial, gender, and age markers looking directly at readers. At every point, Naberhaus and Nelson claim America's multiculturalism and pluralism as assets. Although some might consider this book patriotically didactic, its reliance on symbols leaves much for readers to fill in with their own knowledge and experience. And while this text would probably have been well-received at any time in the past, many adult and child readers will warmly welcome the way it embraces the idea of "e pluribus unum" at this particular historical moment. Notes from the author and illustrator and additional notes on the author's website about the book provide extra material for classroom discussions. Naberhaus and Nelson give new life to Old Glory for the youngest of readers. (Picture book. 3-7)

Kirkus Reviews