Jordi lives a soli­tary life on a bar­ren and rocky hill­side. One day, after a ter­ri­ble thun­der­storm, he finds a most unusual friend, a star reflected on a pond by his house. Inspired by his love for this unex­pected friend, he sets about find­ing ways to enhance the pond and its sur­round­ings. Before he knows it all of the moun­tain­side has changed… Mag­i­cally illus­trated by Susan Gaber this story has proven to be inspir­ing to chil­dren of all ages.

An original folktale written by Alma Flor Ada. The illustrations are captivating and move the story.

Classroom Use: Loneliness and how to overcome it, Friendship, author study. ( )

Jordi is a shepherd. He digs a hole for a well, but finds the land dry. A rainstorm fills the hole, and Jordi is mesmerized by a star reflecting in the water. Slowly he turns hole into a little oasis.

A great story. Maybe hard to find, but worth it. It was a little long for my almost-four-year-old, but she still likes it. ( )

This is a book about a lonely shepherd who goes a little crazy by himself and is convinced a star is living at the bottom of a pool of water he'd dug.

But that's a good thing! In an effort to make his star happy he fills the pool with crystals, and borders it with stones and moss. The moisture spreads, and he plants flowers, and eventually trees around his pool.

Eventually, the dry hillside (the trees had long been cut down) is green and blooming again because of his little efforts.

And he's not lonely anymore.

A simple moral, but a good one. If you can get your hands on this book, snap it up. ( )