How to Catch a Star

The Boy #1

by Oliver Jeffers

An inspirational story of a boy who loved the stars so much, he decided to catch one of his very own. The beautifully illustrated, original debut picture book from shining talent Oliver Jeffers.There once was a boy who loved stars so much that he wished he had one of his very own. Every night he watched the stars in the sky from his bedroom window and dreamed of how he could be their friend and how they could play hide-and-go-seek together. So, one day, he decided to set about catching a star of his very own…

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Space, Fiction, Storytime, Fantasy, Friendship

32 pages, Hardcover

First published June 3, 2004

About the author

Oliver Jeffers' work takes many forms. His distinctive paintings have been exhibited in galleries worldwide, and HarperCollins UK and Penguin USA publish his award-winning picture books, now translated into over 30 languages.

In 2007, Jeffers was the official illustrator for World Book Day, and in 2008 Lost and Found became Oliver's first book to made into animation by London-based Studio AKA.

Jeffers won a NY Emmy in 2010 for his collaborative work with the artist and director Mac Premo, and in 2013 Jeffers co-directed the video for U2's Ordinary Love with Premo. Originally from Belfast, Northern Ireland, Jeffers now lives and works in Brooklyn, New York.

Reviews

[Shaghayegh · Rating 3 out of 5]

خیلی قشنگه که برای آرزو، هدف و هر چی که میخوای تلاش کنی و دست نکشی. مثل این پسرک که خواهان رسیدن و داشتن یه ستاره بود. اما مشکلی که داشتم این بود که نرسیدن هم وجود داره. برای همین پایان تلخ رو بیشتر می‌پسندم و واقع‌بینانه‌تر اگه بود، حال می‌اومدم. خوبه که بچه بدونه میتونه موفق شه اما پس‌فردا که دید به ستاره دست زد و تو آب تکه‌تکه شد چی؟ اون موقع بدجور تو برجکش میخوره.

پ.ن: هر موقع به کتابفروشی سر میزنم، با همراهم رو مبل لش میکنم و براش کتاب میخونم. امتحان کنین. تفریح جالبیه.

[Maede · Rating 4 out of 5]

داستان پسری که چون ستاره‌ها رو دوست داره، می‌خواد یکیشون رو کنار خودش داشته باشه. شاید بشه گفت پیام واضحش دست نکشیدن از آرزوها، حتی اون‌هاییه که خیلی دور از دسترس به نظر میان. اما من بیشتر اینطور می‌بینمش که فرد باید بعد از مدتی نسبت به آرزوش واقع‌بین بشه و این به معنی گذشتن از هدفت نیست. خیلی وقت‌ها باید ورژنی از رویات رو پیدا کنی که با حقایق زندگی جور در میاد. از همه مهمتر اینکه وقتی به دستش آوردی بتونی با همون خوشحال باشی و همش به خودت نگی ولی این اون چیزی نبود که من می‌خواستم

کتاب رو می‌تونید از اینجا دانلود کنید
Maede's Books

۱۴۰۳/۵/۸

[Asmaa Elhelw · Rating 4 out of 5]

Every night the boy watched the stars from his window
and wished he had one of his very own
he try and try and try and failed
the boy was sad but "in his heart ,the wish just wouldn't give up"

then he waited and walked .. and watched and waited.

and the boy had caught a star
a star of his very own.❤️

[Roya · Rating 4 out of 5]

من نمی‌دونستم گودریدز یه آپشن پیشنهاد کتاب داره. ولی خیلیییی خوشحالم که آدم‌های بامزه، بهم کتاب‌ کودک‌ پیشنهاد میدن😭💙
این کتاب خیلی نقاشی‌های قشنگی داشت و خیلی دوسش داشتم. کاش منم بتونم یه روز ستاره بگیرم تا بتونم باهاش قدم بزنم.
مرسی از اون آدم نازنینی که باعث شد این کتاب رو بخونم🐈

[آلاء · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tue, 15 Aug 2023 📚

[Heba · Rating 3 out of 5]

Now the boy was sad. But in his heart ,the wish just wouldn't give up.
At last, he'll catch a star , a star of his very own.

[Nourhan Khaled · Rating 5 out of 5]

‏Once there was a boy, and that boy loved stars very much. So much that he decided to catch one of his very own. But how?

‏Now the boy was sad. But in his heart, the wish just wouldn't give up.

‏Then he waited and walked. And watched and waited.
‏At last, he'll catch a star, a star of his very own.

🤍 ⭐️ 🫂

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oliver Jeffers has done it again! The man can spin pure magic with such simple words, images, and joys in life.

Our young hero is determined to catch a star. It’s his dream. After waiting, jumping, and stretching though, his dream still looks and feels so far away.

”But in his heart, the wish just wouldn’t give up.”

These big, open, colorful pages will inspire readers of all ages to keep reaching for the stars. Hope and smiles shimmer and shine on every page. Sometimes we need to look at goals and dreams in life in a different way. You never know where your dreams and stars may be hiding.

Just keep looking and dreaming!

Highly recommended.

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really cute illustrations, loved by both my nephews. Would be really useful as an early years science prompt.

[Hamed Manoochehri · Rating 5 out of 5]

به ترتیب سال چاپ میرم جلو و این اولین داستان جفرز هست.
به نظر میاد رابطه عشق و تعلق همیشه برای جفرز اهمیت داشته. اینجا هم پسر فقط یه ظاهر از ستاره رُ دیده و شروع کرده به دوست‌داشتنش تا جایی که حتی متوجه نمی شه که سه تا شکل مشابه رُ دوست داشته نه یک ستاره واحد. عجیبه این همه ظرافت و دقت.
عشق و شناخت و تعلق. و دریا. عناصر تکرار شونده این دو داستان که تا اینجا خوندم.

[Oliver Neal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great illustrations as always. Lovely story line but could’ve done with a little more depth. Although, I think the one thing we can take from it is that you can wait for a long time, try and try again but fail. However, what you were looking for was right under your nose the whole time.

[Arghoon · Rating 4 out of 5]

He thought he could fly up in his spaceship and just grab the star. but his spaceship had run out of petrol last Tuesday when he flew to the moon.

[Sara · Rating 2 out of 5]

دومیش واقعا جذاب تر از این بود. ولی خب اینم خیلی بد نبود.

[Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Oliver Jeffers' books, especially his series about the little boy, of which this is the first book. We had already read the next book, Lost and Found , the one where a lost penguin turns up on his doorstep and he tries to help it find its way home again - such a wonderful book! This one is just as delightful, and really captures the kids' imaginations.

In this story, the boy loves stars and wants one. He tries many different ways to catch a star, like climbing to the top of the tree to reach it, and comes up with some other ideas that turn out to be not so doable - like using his rocket ship to reach a star (except it's out of petrol from his last trip to the moon). The boy is persistent and determined, but an aura of sadness and loneliness surrounds him. He's very good at dealing with frustration and really thinks problems through, though he has a habit of asking birds for help and is always disappointed.

It has a happy ending, and the boy does get a star for a friend (or possibly just a washed-up dead starfish), but it's really interesting the range of emotions he goes through over the course of the story, and seeing how kids relate to them. Two-year-olds are especially attuned to characters from stories who become sad, and there is a scene where the boy is so forlorn and dejected that young readers are really concerned for him. All good signs of developing empathy.

Pair the sweet and ironic story with Jeffers' distinctive artistic illustrations, and you've got a really lovely book in your hands. This is one of those rare stories that I never get tired of reading - which is important, because my own two-year-old likes to have it read about three times in a row, in one sitting!

[Erin Buhr · Rating 5 out of 5]

What Oliver Jeffers does so very well in this story is capture the child's perspective and voice. A little boy loves stars and wants to catch one. He attempts with great childlike enthusiasm and creativity again and again. It celebrates imagination, persistence and dreaming without ever stating any of these. The text is perfectly honed and paired with illustrations that bring to life the emotion and yearning of the sweet protagonist. Told with a quiet, calm beauty that is punctuated with just enough action this is a beautiful tale to share with children.

[Mehsi · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cute, imaginative story about a boy who wants a star for his own, so he can be friends with it. The ending was pretty cute, and I was happy. The illustrations were pretty fun, and fit in perfectly with the imaginative story.

[Trelawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun read with beautiful illustrations (as usual) by Jeffers about a boy who wants to catch a star. Particularly good if your child currently has a space rocket obsession :-)

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Does Oliver Jeffers ever do a bad book. No.

[Aminata · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was so beautiful!!!

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

A cute and quick children’s book about a little boy who tries various methods to catch a star. Ultimately, it comes to him from the sea.

[Chadi Raheb · Rating 4 out of 5]

[On the importance of never giving up on a wish]

[Abigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Once there was a boy and the boy loved stars very much..." And so begins the simple narrative here, as the boy tries everything he can think of, from climbing a tree to using a lasso, to catch a sparkling star. All of his efforts prove futile, until he finds what he is looking for in an unexpected form (as a starfish), and at an unexpected time...

Originally published in 2004, How to Catch a Star is the first of four picture-books about the adventures of this boy - subsequent titles include Lost and Found , The Way Back Home and Up and Down - and was author/illustrator Oliver Jeffers' debut. It's certainly a lovely debut, and although not my favorite Jeffers book, it does feature that gentle sense of heart to be found in all of his stories, and the colorful, stylized artwork I have come to expect. Recommended to anyone searching for children's stories about the longing for something just out of reach, as well as to all fellow Jeffers fans.

[Christina · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book introduces the reader to a boy who loves stars so much, he wants to catch one of his own. He tries many different ways to catch one (such as climbing to the top of a tree), by the end of the book the boy collects a starfish. “The boy had caught a star. A star of his very own.” I loved this book – and my three year old daughter did too! I chose to read this book as Oliver Jeffers was an author recommended to us at university last year, and now I own quite a few of his books! I really enjoy the way Jeffers writes, and the colourful illustrations are lovely with a variety of full page illustrations to smaller ones. This book demonstrates the boy’s determination and perseverance to catch his star, and shows children how he overcomes problems along the way such as disappointment and frustration. The story also encourages readers to feel empathy and really engage with the main character. The author has chosen to use short, simple sentences and lets the illustrations tell the story. This allows the opportunity for reader’s own ideas and interpretations of what is going on, or how the boy is feeling. This book is most likely aimed for younger readers (up to age 6) however I really enjoyed it and would definitely put it in the reading area for older readers too, because picture books definitely shouldn’t be limited to a younger audience!

[Huda Fel · Rating 5 out of 5]

الكتاب هذا يذكرني بجوانب من حياتنا ولدنا بها لكن إذا ما نتبهنا لها ممكن نفقدها. مثل الفضول وحب الاكتشاف واللعب، والي بيتناولها الكتاب هنا "المرونة".
مرونة الأطفال بأن لا شيء مستحيل. وأن مانريده يمكننا الحصول عليه، وفي حال لم يتوفر لنا .. لنا أن نغير الي مانريد! وسيكون الشيء الي وجدناه هو الشيء الجديد الي نريده الأن.
وقس على ذلك.. في حياتنا الكثير مما تمنينا حدوثه ولم يحدث، ولكن مرونتنا تمكننا من قول "الحمدلله" إذا حدث أمر محالف.
عمومًا إيماننا بأن ربنا يختار لنا ما فيه خير هو أساس المرونة. مشكلتنا أننا ننسى. والنسيان كما أنه مشكلتنا هو أيضًا طبيعتنا.

[Graham Hill · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful story of a boy who refuses to give up on his dream to catch a star of his own. The simple story line, with a clear narrative (beginning, middle and end), makes the book very accesible to KS1 children. Jeffers' illustrations are bold, bright, yet unclutterd and simple, and they help children keep up with the story and get lost in their immagination. After reading this book, children will forever be reaching for the stars!

[Anna Donajgrodzki · Rating 5 out of 5]

How to Catch a Star is a brilliant book to use in a KS1 classroom. There are multiple discussion points and curricular links to do with reflections and day and night. The illustrations are warm and eye capturing, I particularly love the shapes of the stars as they are very child-like drawn. The book teaches important values such as patience which could be used to discuss with a class of children.

[Emma · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book would be good to read to children in KS1 and year 3, it encourages creative thinking; they could think of and discuss how they might catch a star themselves. It could also be used to spark an interest in space and be used to introduce the topic of space. There are also colourful illustrations which show the boy’s ideas as well as time of day and how the ideas might and might not work.

[Fatima Alqassab · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beautiful illustrations and cute story for kids ^ - ^.

[Sandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

There once was a boy who followed his dream. Although the end result wasn’t exactly what he had originally planned, what he received was perfect. Oliver Jeffers does it again, as my heart was singing when I finished reading this book and I immediately, had to reread it.

The young boy loved stars so much, he wanted to have one of his very own. I loved how the boy originally wished for a star and how he imagined his life would be, once he got his new star friend. The illustrations compliment this story nicely and I think they showcase what the text is trying to accomplish. The illustrations draw you in, they move you through the story.

The boy finally decides to take matters into his own hands and he makes plans to catch a star. Great idea for such a young child. It was entertaining reading about all the methods that he used and his thoughts while he attempted this feat. The seagull and the rocket ship were hilarious. His determination, cleverness and patience does pay off and although, he didn’t get exactly what he had originally wanted, he was thrilled with the end result. 5 stars

[raafi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Buku #2 yang dibaca di Seattle Public Library.

Seorang bocah laki-laki yang amat menginginkan bintang sebagai sahabatnya. Baca ini jadi ingat lagu "Ambilkan Bulan, Bu".