Product Description

The North Star from FableVision Press, is a hardcover book of 120 pages, filled with magical watercolor illustrations and text by Peter Reynolds.

The North Star is the story of a young boy's journey through life. It is an allegory that raises questions about which road we take, and how to seek out our own unique path through life. The magical illustrations and gentle text reveal the empowering wonder of navigating our true potential.

The North Star celebrates the individual. It invites us to rethink curriculum, career choices and other critical life decisions in a way that respects who we really are and our own unique gifts. It has inspired children, teachers, parents and people from all walks of life.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #194658 in Books
• Published on: 1997-12
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 120 pages

From School Library Journal
Grade 2–4—This well-meaning and thoughtful book showcases charming ink and watercolor illustrations; it is also somewhat derivative. The narrative opens, "A sweet breeze met the boy as he awoke to his journey. He traveled on all fours for quite some time…and he grew. And he paused." These lines are very soothing and accompanied by pictures that show a baby staring out from under a tree, crawling through some grass, and sitting cross-legged meditatively. Then the lengthy story meanders as the boy follows a rabbit down a path, wonders about a leaf and the stars, and meets a cat who advises him to start his journey so he won't "be left behind." The child replies, "Oh, but I have been on a journey…I've seen many wonderful things. Some I understand, and some I don't…like how that leaf floats on the water." The child continues his travels, meeting other animals who give advice and make pronouncements about the journey of life, a frog concluding that he is content to stay in his bog where he swam as a tadpole and grew into an adult. These philosophical musings, while simply stated, are unlikely to find a wide audience.—Kirsten Cutler, Sonoma County Library, CA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review
Everyone will fall in love with The North Star, as I have. It is an inspired fable about our journey through life...and the pleasures to conform that are exerted on dreams when they run counter to the expectations to society. It is a book for those who know, or will eventually realize that what they are doing is not what, in their heart of hearts, they want to do. It is for parents and other educators who seek to develop the unique potential they see in every child. And, with its utterly magical illustrations, it will enthrall the children too. If only every individual could find and follow his or her own star and be encouraged to do so. How different the world would be. The North Star moves us in that direction. -- Dr. Jane Goodall, Scientific Director The Jane Goodall Institute

About the Author
Peter Reynolds' passion to help children began at age twelve when he volunteered at a special needs camp. There he saw the profound power in truly understanding the unique gifts and abilities of every child.

His professional career includes more than a decade at Tom Snyder Productions, one of the country's leading educational software developers. As VP and Creative Director, Peter visited classrooms across the country and the world, helping educators and parents. Together, they explored how technology, media and storytelling can be used to make learning and teaching easier and more rewarding.

He has helped produce dozens of award-winning videos and software programs designed as alternative ways to help children learn. Some of his many awards include Media and Methods Excellence in Education Award, Parenting Magazine Award and Parents' Choice Award.

Peter's mission is to help others on their journeys of personal discovery. He has combined his keen observations of the classroom with his writing, illustration and animation to "create stories that matter." Currently living in Dedham, Massachusetts, Peter also enjoys teaching his eleven-year-old daughter Sarah the magical art of storytelling.

Customer Reviews

A gift every person deserves...
I'm an "ability focused" disability awareness educator and I've adopted The North Star and its messages into my work with students for the past several years. With its messages of self-acceptance and acceptance of diversity, The North Star has been a natural companion for my own goals of helping students develop a greater appreciation of individual differences and abilities. This is a gift we all deserve, no matter what our age... no matter what obstacles we face in life.

Besides the success I've had with The North Star in the classroom, it also has great meaning to me on a personal level. As someone living with a lifelong respiratory disability, reading The North Star for the first time felt like someone was smiling at me, and nodding... confirming and celebrating the person I am and the unique life I've led, and it made me believe it is the kind of life I want to continue leading.

Smart Jane has an A-ha experience
Review of The North Star by Peter Reynolds

A True Story

My smart friend Jane read The North Star and said: "It's a dumb book." I looked at her quizzically. I began to notice how straight she sat, how straight she dressed. She had no children. "It's about something very rare," I said. "Something wonderful but all too rare." Now Jane looked at me quizzically. "Unconventional children," I said. Her quizzicality grew. "And that's all of them," I added. Jane's eyes lit up, her jaw dropped a little. She said, "Oh." I started to explain but she is smart and didn't need me to tell -- about children who get those double-messages that appear on almost every page of The North Star, the wooden sign telling you to turn right, then below it a maddening little arrow pointing left. "Girl children get a ton of double-messages. Children in poverty get them, children in privilege. The messages about sex leave no room for homosexuality, for domestic violence, for exploitation. No wonder children grow up feeling lost. Who wouldn't love to read this book to kids everywhere?" "You're so right," said smart Jane. "Why didn't I see it?" "Maybe you've become conventional, Jane. Did you ever find your own North Star?" The quizzicality returned. "In the book the lost boy stops following the conventional signs when he discovers his North Star - surrounded by his very own constellation. That's just his true calling in life, surrounded by all his strengths and talents. It leads him back home: to himself, to an original self." "How wonderful," said smart Jane, tears standing in her eyes. #

William Cleary August 23, l999

A book to awaken you to your dreams
This book could very well awaken you, help you find your inner self and redirect you toward your guiding star - your life's work and dream. This book can be the start of a new outlook in life. Read this book and refocus...you may find it touches you like no other book has. It has done this for me.