Module 15: Censorship Issues

Draw me a star by Eric Carle

Summary: In this story a boy is asked to draw someone (not in the picture) a star, then the star asks the child to draw it the sun and it continues with each thing that he draws asking hi to draw something else until the moon asks him to draw a star. This is a type of circle story that ends where it began.

My Impressions: This story likens to the Creation story or other origin stories.  It is easy to follow and students like the classic Eric Carle pictures too.

Reviews:

Author: Cynthia Zarin

“Draw Me A Star, written and illustrated by Eric Carle, the author of The Very Hungry Caterpillar, is another cyclical book, and a good one to read at bedtime. An artist is asked by an unseen friend to draw a star. The star then asks the artist to draw the sun. The sun asks for a tree, and before long an entire universe has sprung up. Night falls, the moon rises, the moon asks for a star, and the circle is complete. Mr. Carle’s media are paint and collage. The book is wholly satisfying.”-   by Cynthia Zarin, The New Yorker, November 18, 1992

Author: Eve Larkin

“A young boy is told (readers are not sure by whom) to “Draw me a star.” The star then requests that the boy draw it a sun; the sun asks for a “lovely tree,” and throughout his life the boy/man/artist continues to create images that fill the world with beauty. The moon bids the now-elderly artist to draw another star, and as the story ends, the artist travels “across the night sky” hand-in-hand with the star. This book will appeal to readers of all ages; its stunning illustrations, spare text, and simple story line make it a good choice for story hour, but older children will also find it uplifting and meaningful. Especially pleasing is a diagram within the story, accompanied by rhyming instructions on how to draw a star: “Down/over/left/and right/draw/a star/oh so/bright.” An inspired book in every sense of the word.”- by Eve Larkin, School Library Journal, October, 1992

Library Use: Students could work in small groups to create there own circle stories.  Other circle stories could be compared like If You Give a Mouse a Cookie and the rest in that series of books

Resource List:

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

Larkin, E. (1992, October). Review of the book Draw Me a Star, by Eric Carle. School Library Journal. Retrieved from http://www.eric-carle.com/rev-DMAS.html

Zarin, C. (1992, November 18). Review of the book Draw Me a Star, by Eric Carle. The New Yorker. Retrieved from http://www.eric-carle.com/rev-DMAS.html