Review Detail

All the Stars in the Sky is a lovely look at community and the role each of us play within it.

There's only one more week of school, and Clay has yet to be the Star of the week. So, he asks Elisi, for advice. When Elisi finds out that the “star of the week” means that a kid is the most important person in the school, she tells him that no one is more important than their family or community as a group. Clay is confused at this introduction to the Cherokee concept of gadugi, or community. But Elisi points to the constellations in the night sky, where all of the stars are important, and to the folks in their community that help one another. When Clay gets to school the next day and is indeed award "star of the week", he asks to share the experience and explains what he learned about gadugi.

All the Stars in the Sky is wonderful way to explain the interdependence of community and asks little ones how their work and talents contribute to the whole. It’s a beautiful concept that rings true.

Winona Nelson’s pencil, watercolor and glass beads illustrations are full of color and movement. Her beadwork is stunning. I love that the artist used the indigenous bead working tradition of using the "wrong" color in each piece, as a reminder to keep us humans humble.

All the Stars in the Sky is well-suited to the audience level and works as a nice read-aloud. The themes themes such as working together, respecting others, humility, and community makes this book a nice fit for classroom/group settings.

"...our community is like a constellation made up of many stars, none of them brighter than any of the others...Each star plays its part in keeping the constellation together."