Can You See the Stars Tonight?

This is a beautifully-illustrated, timely and thought-provoking book about the disorientating effect that light pollution can have on wildlife— in this case, pufflings (baby puffins).One night, Nora notices that she can’t see the stars clearly, and wonders why. Then a little puffling lands in her bedroom, having been blown off course. But her daddies tell her that this is not the only lost puffling to arrive in their town. With the help of her cuddly toy, Puffin (who luckily, can talk to real puffins), Nora learns that puffins can’t see the light of the stars and moon any more— which they need to find their way. It’s the lights from towns and cities that is causing this problem.Encouraged by Puffin, Nora realises that even though she is "just one little girl”, she can make small changes to reduce light pollution. She finds ways to reduce the glare of outside lights, and gets her neighbours to join in, too, for example, by drawing their curtains to keep the night skies darker (and the stars brighter).The illustrations are gorgeous, and Nora is such an expressive character! I love the image of her in her bedroom with her telescope at the start of the book, and the details depicted in her bedroom are a delight. One of my favourite spreads is of Nora at the top of the island, surrounded by different types of flying seabirds. Another favourite is that of the families in the street viewing the once-again clear, bright night sky; the depth of colour here is stunning.With its wonderful illustrations, subtle theme of inclusion and its core message about caring for nature, this book would make a wonderful addition to any child’s bookshelf.

Anna has created a very special book for children to enjoy and to learn about the important role we can all play in caring for the natural world. When Nora and her puffin friend can't see the stars clearly at night and pufflings keep getting lost, they decide to find out why. This story helps young readers to learn about light pollution and the impact it is having on the natural world and, through Nora's determination to do something about the issue in her local community, the child reader is empowered to play their own part in protecting what is left of the natural world. With a child-friendly end page, helping children explore in more detail about the problem and what we can all do about it, this makes a great book to share both at home and in the classroom. Anna's gorgeous illustrations show just how adorable puffins are and also show some of the other, maybe less familiar sea birds, which need our help too. This is a wonderful book and I would highly recommend it for the children in your life.

A stunning, sparkling, gorgeous book full of hope and wonder!