The Star Festival

By Moni Ritchie Hadley and Mizuho Fujisawa

2021 Freeman Book Awards Honorable Mention - Children's Literature
The Best Children's Books of the Year 2022, Bank Street College

STARRED REVIEW! "Hadley has created a remarkable debut that flows elegantly, interweaving the two tales in a way that is readable and fun…An exquisite choice for all collections."—School Library Journal starred review

A multigenerational retelling of a Japanese legend.

Tanabata Matsuri, the Star Festival, celebrates a popular folktale: The Emperor of the Heavens separates his daughter, Orihime, from her love, Hikoboshi, all year—but on this day the two stars finally reunite on a bridge across the Milky Way. For Keiko, her mama, and her grandmother, Tanabata is about making tanzaku wishes, taking in the colorful decorations, and eating delicious food like nagashi somen and shaved ice. But when Obasaan gets lost in the crowd, Keiko and Mama must make their own bridge to find her again—and see if their tanzaku comes true.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Albert Whitman & Company
• Release date: Apr 1, 2021
• ISBN: 9780807576007

Moni Ritchie Hadley

Moni Ritchie Hadley is the author of Anzu and the Art of Friendship and The Star Festival. After attending UCLA and enjoying a career as a home/hospital teacher, Moni pursued her dream of becoming a writer. She is the founder of the Write Kidlit Now! scholarship, and lives in Los Angeles with her family and four furry writing buddies.

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Reviews for The Star Festival

[nbmars · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This story about a lovely Japanese tradition is told by five-year-old Keiko, a fictional girl who is excited over the start of Tanabata Matsuri, or the Star Festival.This celebration takes place on the seventh day of the seventh month. According to Japanese folklore, this is the only day of the year when the two stars, Altair and Vega, can meet. (In Japanese the stars are known as Orihime and Hikoboshi.)[Note: The holiday varies among different regions in Japan. According to the formerly used lunar calendar, the seventh month is August rather than July. Thus in some places, they celebrate on August 7, alhough the official date is July 7.]Colorful Tanabata festivals are held across Japan in early July and August. It is traditional to write wishes on colorful strips of paper and hang them on special holiday trees made from bamboo branches. People also decorate their houses and public spaces.Keiko and her family tie paper wishes to their bamboo tree and dress in traditional kimonos. Keiko’s grandmother, Oba, reminds Keiko of the charming story behind the holiday, about the two stars that fell in love, but were forbidden to meet except for once a year.Then the family goes into town for the celebration. In the dense crowds, Oba gets separated from them. Keiko and her mother imagine they are back in the story of the stars trying to find each other across the galaxy. Finally they locate Oba just in time for the fireworks celebration.At the end of the story, backmatter provides further explanation of the holiday along with a description of traditional foods and decorations. There are also instructions on how to make a Tanabata Matsuri tree on which to hang wishes.Illustrations by Mizuho Fujisawa capture the bright colors and excitement of the crowds.Evaluation: Children aged four and up of all backgrounds will be enchanted by the traditions of this festival, and may want to create their own version of a wishing tree.