Where to Hide a Star

Buy This Book * More books by Oliver Jeffers

Once, there was a boy who would often play hide-and-seek with his friends, the star and the penguin. The star was always easy to find, but one day it went missing. So, the boy radioed the Martian for help and soon found himself on an exciting spaceship rescue mission to the North Pole! But there, he discovered that he wasn’t the only one who had always dreamed of having a star as a friend…

English:

• This book features the boy and the penguin, who appear in other books by Oliver Jeffers. Could you write an adventure that includes them?
• Retell the story from the point of view of the boy, the penguin or the star.
• Write some instructions to teach others how to play ‘hide and seek’.
• Write a newspaper report that describes the events in this story. Include interviews with the characters.
• Write a diary entry from the point of view of the girl who finds the star.
• Write a conversation between the boy and the girl when they first meet. Use punctuation correctly. You could also write this in the form of a play script.
• Write a new story about the boy, the girl and the penguin.
• Record a ‘read aloud’ video based on this book. Here is an example:

Maths:

• The penguin and the star do not know how to count. Could you make a poster that teaches them about numbers?
• Make a timetable that shows the events of the story and when they might have happened.

Science:

• What are stars? Find out more about the topic and write a report about them.
• Look at different constellations.

Computing:

• Make a ‘missing’ poster to encourage people to get in touch if they find the star.
• Design a game in which the boy has to search for the missing star.
• Create a trailer for this book or one of your favourite books. Here is an example:

Design Technology:

• Design a clever hiding place for the boy, the penguin or the star.
• Design a new spaceship for the alien.
• Make some puppets of the characters and use them to retell the story.
• Make a 3D model of the boy, the girl, the penguin, the alien and / or the star. Here is a tutorial for a 3D star:

Art:

• Create your own illustrations of the characters in this story.
• Draw a picture that shows the star’s view from his hiding place at the end of the book.
• Make some pictures that show different constellations.

Music:

• Compose a melody to accompany an animated version of the boy’s search for the star.

Geography:

• Create a map that shows the locations in the story. How far do the characters travel?

PSHE:

• At the end of the story, the boy and the girl both want to keep the star. Have you ever been in a similar situation? What happened? What does it mean to share something?