Module 10: Draw Me a Star

Book Summary: An artist begins by drawing a star. The star then instructs the artist to draw the sun. The sun, in turn, tells the artist to draw a tree and the tree requests a drawing of a couple. The couple want a house, and the house wants a drawing of a dog. The dog would like a cat, the cat would like a bird, and the bird would like a butterfly. The butterfly would like drawings of flowers, and the flowers request a cloud. 

What results is a rainbow.

The rainbow requests the night and the night would like a moon.  The moon says it would like a star. The artist holds onto the star and travels across the night sky.

APA Reference of Book:
Carle, E. (1992). Draw me a star. New York, NY: Philomel Books.

Impressions: This book was part of our module concerning censorship. When I first saw the title on the list, I was surprised. Had this book been banned before? I flipped through the book and saw the portion, I can only assume, that had stirred up any objections: a nude man and woman. I grew up loving Eric Carle's collage-like illustrations and anyone familiar with Carle's work will note that there is an expressive quality to his work. His illustrations are not detailed and the images that may cause offense are not explicit. The main character of this book is an artist. Artists draw and paint nude people because art school and the traditions of art teach you that the body is beautiful. Thus, when the tree tells the artist in the story to draw a handsome couple, it is easy to imagine this is what the artist would conceive. 

The book is lyrical and while the imagery is somewhat simplistic, the concept behind the story of an artist's life is touching. Carle's collage illustration style also implies movement and energy, aiding the plot concerning a life's journey. The plot itself is cyclical, allowing the story to be read over and over again.  

Professional Review: "A remarkable, quintessentially simple book encompassing Creation, creativity, and the cycle of life within the eternal. Introduced on the title page as a toddler drawing the first of five lines to make a star, an artist ages until, at the end, he's an old man who takes hold of a star to travel the night sky. Meanwhile, the first star says, "Draw me the sun"; the sun says, "Draw me a tree," and so on: woman and man; house, dog, cat, bird, butterfly, flowers, cloud; a rainbow arching over the middle-aged artist's whole creation; and back to the night and the stars. Carle's trademark style--vibrant tissue collage on dramatic white--is wonderfully effective in expressing the joy of creation, while the economy with which he conveys these universal ideas gives them extraordinary power. Yet the story is disarmingly childlike, concluding with an ingenuous letter from the author with instructions for drawing an eight-point star. Thanks be to the book for asking Carle to "draw" it!" (Kirkus, 1992, https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/eric-carle/draw-me-a-star/)

Kirkus Reviews. (1992, Sept 1). [Review of the book Draw me a star, by E. Carle] Retrieved from https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/eric-carle/draw-me-a-star/

Library Uses: I think this book would be a good addition to recognizing challenged or banned books during Banned Books Week. Since it is a picture book and can be read quickly by a variety of ages, it would a title that could be discussed concerning censorship.  According to ALA's top 100 banned/challenged books from 2000-2009, this book was considered #61 (http://www.ala.org/bbooks/top-100-bannedchallenged-books-2000-2009)