The Stars Will Still Shine
PreSchool-K&ndash;This picture book serves as a reassuring reminder that good things are always around the corner. In gentle rhyme, Rylant greets a new year and celebrates the constants of life, including new beginnings, togetherness, and the cyclical wonders of the natural world: the sky will still be there/the stars will still shine/birds will fly over us/church bells will chime. Beeke's soft and soothing watercolor scenes are as comforting as the text; each spread reveals a setting of gentle color&ndash;a pink-petaled field, a sunny kitchen, or a cobalt-blue night sky. The human characters are simply drawn and yet joyfully expressive. The book's subject matter and tone make it a wonderful bedtime selection for toddlers and preschoolers, especially when read after a tough day. The optimistic viewpoint and rhyme, along with the appealing visuals, will certainly rate with young children, making this a worthy addition to most collections.&ndash;Carol L. MacKay, Camrose Public Library, Alberta, CanadaCopyright &copy; Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.