Jordi’s Star
Jordi’s Star
by
Children’s
Books of the Year 1997 – Booklist starred review
Jordi lives a solitary life on a
barren and rocky hillside. One day,
Author’s Note : This book was inspired by a landscape where two different mountains, one green, one dry faced each other. In reality it is the sum of my beliefs: beauty is all around us, if only we pause to see it. And love is the strongest energy. As we love we are transformed, as we love the world can be transformed.
From School Library Journal : PreSchool-Grade 3-A solitary shepherd finds a
special kind of magic. On a hillside stripped bare by woodcutters, Jordi tends
his goats. Hoping to save a trip to the river, he digs a hole in the ground, but
the would-be well remains dry. An intense rainstorm fills the hole, creating a
pool that mirrors the night sky. Gazing at its reflection, Jordi truly believes
that a star has fallen into the pool. Overcome with happiness, he attempts to
make his new friend comfortable, gradually bringing rocks, flowers, and other
gifts from nature. As the years pass, the now-lush hillside flourishes and both
Jordi and his star shine with contentment. Written with strong emotion and a
sense of wonder, this story has the tone and resonance of a folktale. Because
Jordi is presented with dignity and simple wisdom, his belief in the star does
not seem foolish, but rather an act of faith powerful enough to change his life.
Done with acrylics on coquille board, Gaber's paintings are pleasing. Jordi is
the only splash of color against a barren background; his bearded, square-jawed
face is painted with deep emotion as, touched by starlight, he smiles in his
sleep, or gazes lovingly into the pool. Landscape scenes are varied with
close-up pictures, and changes in the perspective add detail and depth to the
illustrations. A moving, beautifully told story. Joy Fleishhacker, School
Library Journal
From Booklist : Ages 4-8. Jordi lives a difficult, lonely life on a rocky hill,
tending a herd of goats. The terrain is bleak, and even getting water is
difficult. When the hole he digs to try to open a well fills with water during a
thunderstorm, Jordi's life is forever altered. That night he sees a star shining
in the pool, and he gazes on it enraptured. He is certain the star has gone to
sleep when it disappears from the pool the next day, and sure enough, that night
the star reappears. Feeling an urge to nurture his new friend, he begins
bringing it things--large rocks, which he puts together with soft moss; shiny
quartz pebbles, which he tosses into the bottom of the pool; and "some tiny blue
flowers he had never noticed before." Day by day, he brings more gifts to the
star, gradually transforming his landscape and himself: "Jordi could not
understand how life had once seemed so sad and lonely to him, filled as it was
with so many beautiful things to discover." This touching, lyrically told story
is given substance by Gaber's earthy illustrations, which show Jordi as a
poignantly real man, his broad face and large hands in sharp contrast to the
delicate flowers and the twinkling star. The book is appropriate for any
picture-book collection, but one particular illustration, which shows Jordi
sleeping as starlight shining in the window illuminates a cross and an icon,
makes this an especially fine choice for church and parochial school libraries.
Susan Dove Lempke.
“A
solitary shepherd finds a special kind of magic. On a hillside stripped bare by
woodcutters, Jordi tends his goats. Hoping to save a trip to the river, he digs
a hole in the ground, but the would-be well remains dry. An intense rainstorm
fills the hole creating a pool that mirrors the night sky. Gazing
in its reflection, Jordi truly believes that a star has fallen into the
pool. Overcome with happiness, he attempts to make his new friend comfortable,
gradually bringing rocks, flowers, and other gifts from nature. As the years
pass the now-lush hillside flourishes and both Jordi and his star shine with
contentment. Written with strong emotion and a sense of wonder, this story
has the tone and resonance of a folktale. Because Jordi is presented with
dignity and simple wisdom his belief in the star does not seem foolish, but
rather an act of faith powerful enough to change his life. Done with acrylic on
coquille board, Gaber’s paintings are pleasing. Jordi is the only splash of
color against a barren background: his bearded square-jawed face is painted with
deep emotion as, touched by starlight, he smiles in his sleep or gazes lovingly
into the pool. Landscape scenes are varied with close-up pictures, and
changes in the perspective add detail and depth to the illustrations. A moving
beautifully told story.” (Joy Fleishacker. School
Library Journal, December, 1996)
“Gaber’s
(Bit by Bit)
radiant, clear-toned paintings give a quiet luminiscence to this story of a
solitary shepherd who lives with his flock among dry and dusty hills. One day,
after a heavy rain, Jordi finds a small pond has formed near his house. Bereft
of human companionship, Jordi befriends a star that is reflected in the water
each night. To please it, he plants flowers and fruit trees, and these actions
bring him into touch with the blossoming mountainside and with his neighbors in
the nearby village. Ada (My
Name is María
Isabel) uses matter-of-fact language to take the strangeness out of
Jordi’s imaginary relationship; he does not ask the star about the nature of
the cosmos –he asks her if she slept well and chats to her about the beauty of
the foliage. The hero’s plump, bearded face, almost blank at first, gains rosy
good cheer as the story progresses. The gently humorous illustrations make the
tale of Jordi’s spiritual growth shine with joy.”
(Publishers
Weekly. November 4, 1996)
“[…] Acrylic paintings drawn on coquille board by Susan Gaber convey the story’s beautiful spirit. Alex, age 11, reflected: ‘We can see how something so small could bring a man so much joy’.” (The Reading Teacher. October, 1997)
Illustrated
by Susan Gaber.
Published by Putnam.
Available in English and Spanish at :