Book Review – The Stars That Shine for You

The Stars that Shine for You is a great resource to help kids see the world in a new light!

I have known death but it took me a long time to comprehend it. I lost my grandparents, and an uncle who was very dear to me, not counting my family lost three people during COVID which was specially harsh. Even today I well up on the times I miss about them, specially because I am living in a country far from them all and couldn’t be with them in those last moments. This book made me think of all of them fondly.

Death is hard, specially for kids. More so because they cannot fathom what has happened and the loss is felt years later. This book is a wonderful resource to help kids see that that moment a time later, when they are missing someone is the beauty of the relationship and moments shared. Those need to be cherished and nurtured.

Every page is dedicated to a relationship and moment shared between a person from a diverse culture. The relationship and traditions are explored and the illustrations only highlight the beauty of those poignant moments when someone was lost and is now remembered. I specially liked the mention of the lady who simply hands out candy, coz some relationships are non existential still leave a mark. Like the book says, it’s for all those around the world.

The traditions from around the world mentioned in the back are great introduction to cultures around the world.

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BOOK DESCRIPTION

The Stars That Shine for You introduces the concept of death in a child-friendly way. It’s a topic we need to get comfortable talking about-enhancing not only our own grief literacy, but also raising the next generation to be fluent in the language of love, loss, and hope.

Many cultures around the world share stories, have end-of-life celebrations, and believe in the soul and afterlife. Traditions vary from country to country, faith to faith, but what remains universal among all of humanity is the stars above us. The light in the sky unites all our nations bonded together in grief and hope, on this earth and beyond.

About the Author

Rishma Govani is the author of the children’s book Sushi and Samosas: A Trip of Tasty Transformations. Her first book focused on diverse food around the world and the commonalities we share once we try and understand each other’s cultures, one mouthful at a time!In 2020, she lost her beloved husband and dove deep into a different kind of journey. She has become a strong advocate for grief literacy committed to helping others. She is the proud mother of two, Khalil and Mila, and her greatest title to date-the wife of Aly Mulji. She continues to find creative and loving ways to honor Aly’s legacy.

A cubicle-bound office worker by day and illustrator by night, Trung specializes in visual storytelling for children’s literature. His notable illustrated picture books are Lawrence of Arabia, a collaboration with the Singapore Hospice Council that talks about the sensitive topic of end-of-life care, and The Reading Tree by Epigram Books, a unique story about lifelong friendship. He has also illustrated books on Asian folklore and cultures, with many published in his home country, Vietnam. Trung received Adobe’s Top Talent award for the Illustration category (2019), but more importantly, he is also the recipient of a special gift-his newborn son.

Born in Lebanon, raised in several countries, and moved to Berlin, Germany in 2021 after 9 wonderful years in Singapore.Leila started her writing career with Sensitive and Extraordinary, a blog about the joys and challenges of parenting a highly sensitive child, and two self-published picture books for highly sensitive children which have been recommended by Dr. Elaine Aron and Dr. Ted Zeff. She was later fortunate enough to work with Marshall Cavendish, Penguin Random House SEA, Chronicle Books, Macmillan, Groundwood Books, and Andrews McMeel Publishing.