Reviews

STAR AND THE MAESTRO: A KidLit Bird Book Review

February 11, 2025 by Susan Wroble No Comments
Mozart playing on grand piano while the starling Star flies overhead

In 1784, while walking in Vienna, Mozart heard something that stopped him in his tracks. It was his own melody—but it was coming from a pet store. The source of the music was a starling. In their nonfiction picture book Star and the Maestro: How a Musical Bird Made Melodies with Mozart, Thor Hanson and Matt Schu have teamed up to tell the story of the relationship between these two talented musicians. 

Star and the Maestro is a complete delight as a read-aloud. The words and phrases flow off the tongue, and it is only when you are well into the book that you might realize that it is written in an irregular rhyme that is perfect for a book about a musical collaboration. The meter is primarily anapest (da da DUM) which gives the story an upbeat feeling, full of movement and playfulness.

Mozart's wig flies off his head when he hears his own melody coming from a bird

Mozart reacting to hearing his own melody in STAR AND THE MAESTRO

Author Thor Hanson, a noted biologist and award-winning writer, tends to specialize in areas where human and natural systems interact. A Guggenheim Fellow and Switzer Environmental Fellow, he writes for both children and adults. Adult books include Feathers: The Evolution of a Natural Miracle and Hurricane Lizards and Plastic Squids: The Fraught and Fascinating Biology of Climate Change as well as the upcoming Close to Home: The Wonders of Nature Just Outside Your Door. His previous children’s book, Bartholomew Quill: A Crow’s Quest to Know Who’s Who, is a tale of biodiversity told from the point of view of a young crow. 

Illustrator Matt Schu’s high-contrast style was based on his early love of comics. He begins in pencil, then outlines in ink. The color palette for this book is largely in the starling’s own hues of blacks and browns, with accents in red. His work has a mysterious quality that complements this inter-species partnership. 

A silhouette of a man holding an empty birdcage and a bird flying free inside a home.

Star the starling flying free in his new home with Mozart

Backmatter includes more information about Mozart and about starlings, as well as questions for the readers to think about in a “Did You Know?” section. An example is a section on starling coloration during both the spring and winter, with the question of “Why do birds have different colors at different times of the year?”

Backmatter in STAR AND THE MAESTRO

This book is a great addition to public, school and home libraries. The rhythm and flow makes it a fabulous read-aloud, perfect for initiating discussions from music lessons to science classes.  

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STAR AND THE MAESTRO by Thor Hanson, illustrated by Matt Schu 

Greenwillow Book (HarperCollins), 2024

ISBN: 978-0062676498

$19.99 USA, $24.99 CAN

40 pages, Grade level PreK-3, ages 4-8

Written by Susan Wroble
Susan Wroble has always paid attention to the birds around her, perhaps in part because Burd is her middle name! She is always happiest when outside gardening and listening to birdsong. Coming from a family with a strong commitment to service, Susan started volunteering after college with two years in the Peace Corps in the Independent State of Western Samoa, where she taught high school math and science. Currently, she volunteers as leader of the Rocky Mountain Chapter of the Society for Children’s Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) and at the Colorado Children’s Hospital. She also leads a long-term Denver-area support group for parents of Twice-Exceptional Children.Susan’s degrees are in electrical engineering and foreign affairs, but her great love is children’s books. She writes nonfiction, and tends to focus on stories that share a message of hope in this era of climate change. She has written four children’s books for the school library market. Her book DAWN CHORUS: PROTECTING BIRDSONG AROUND THE WORLD is scheduled for publication with Holiday House in 2026.