Starboy: Inspired by the Life and Lyrics of David Bowie

A little boy leans out the window of his quiet home in London, England, looking out into the dark starry night and reflecting on feeling like an outsider, feeling like a stranger on this planet. A child with mismatched eyes, long spindly legs and large ears so special, David is sure he can detect a faint murmur among the stars, a murmur that fills his body with an energy inspiring him to dance and make music.

Through vivid illustrations, the picture book Starboy explores a young boy’s connection to the universe and his longing to share this connection and energy with others. Through the story and the artwork, author and illustrator Jami Gigot uses David Bowie’s life and music as the inspiration for this story of a lonely boy mesmerized by the music of the stars and longing to fit in, but realizing his life is too quiet without music. This hopeful story of a young boy with an inherent musical ability embracing his individuality also explores the power of imagination as David sees colour and feels the rhythm of music everywhere he goes.
Young readers will be captivated by Gigot’s illustrations right from the cover art which shows a young David set against a starry backdrop, ribbons of colour in the background, as a young Ziggy Stardust stares out at the reader. Throughout the story, David grapples with a desire to be like other children but feels the electric pull of imagination and music, and, when he understands the rhythm of music is a part of him, bursts of colour populate dark pages. The art reflects David’s imagination, his individuality, and his music. Gigot’s using a moody palette of black, grey and white makes the bursts of colour surrounding David more effective. Colour choices also demonstrate to readers when there is a shift in the narrative. For example, when David embraces his unique creativity, grey makes way for red, green, orange, and purple. Suddenly, his classmates are influenced by the energy radiating from David, and colour swirls around the pages as they, too, join him in creating music.

Young readers will be drawn to the ribbons of pink, red, and purple swirling about the young boy who cannot help his tip-tapping down the school halls and shimmy-shaking into class much to the dismay of his peers. The artwork in this picture book serves an important function, conveying David’s feelings of both loneliness and his creative energy. There is always colour emanating from David, reflecting his imaginative, musical spark. The artwork also offers additional insights into David’s identity as a young artist finding meaning in the world and learning to embrace his uniqueness; the more he embraces this side of himself, the more colour populates the pages

Both the language and the art reflect the rhythm of music. Starboy is a beautiful picture book telling the story of self-acceptance and the power of imagination. It would make an engaging and fun read-aloud for children. Young readers wanting to learn more about David will be delighted by the factual information provided at the back of the book in which the author includes biographical information about David Bowie who died in 2016, as well as a list of facts about the artist.