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CM . . . . Volume XVIII Number 28 . . . . March 23, 2012
excerpt:
A raccoon family enjoys an evening under the stars. Baby Ringtail asks his parents if they ever wish upon a star. Mama and Papa Ringtail tell Baby about the wishes they have for his future. Mama hopes her son �will always be curious and open to the wonder of life.� Papa then offers, �My wish on the second star is that you will always love yourself just the way you are and love others the same way.� The parents also hope their son will help friends and family, work and play hard and realize all of his dreams. Baby falls asleep dreaming of a �life blessed under the stars�.
In an end note, the author describes the book as �All the things you wanted to say to your baby, but were too sleep deprived to remember.� This story offers many sweet sentiments, but without any further explanation or exploration of the themes, they read like a series of clich�s. The writing has more of an adult sensibility and seems designed as a gift purchase for new parents. Recommended with reservations. Linda Ludke is a librarian in London, ON.
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Monique Michaud�s full-page ink and watercolour illustrations show the raccoons� familial activities that include roasting marshmallows around a campfire, following fireflies and observing the night sky through a telescope. The text is presented in a bordered box on the facing pages. Key words such as �stars�, �wonder�, �strive�, �dreams� are written in the background and appear in bolder script as the book progresses. There are a few inconsistencies in the text and illustrations. While the text talks about �Five wishes on five stars�, the illustrations clearly show six stars in the sky. All of the text pages have a snapshot image that can found in the larger illustration except in a couple of instances.