Our house, the Earth
My House Has Stars is a beautifully written and illustrated book that shares our differences as humans while focusing on the things that tie us together. McDonald has incorporated cultural facts about various countries and peoples into an enjoyable narrative form. Her book is written as a series of vignettes -- snapshots of the lives of children from around the world. Her culturally accurate use of description, language, and even names create a picture book that not inly informs, but also entertains.
This book has been enjoyed by various young people and has been used in the classroom to inspire multicultural writing projects and to encourage a broader view of the world. It is interesting to note that not once in any of her stories does McDonald mention the name of the place she is writing about. Rather, she allows the reader to rely on her narrative and the accompanying illustrations to divine the location. However, at the end of the book she has included a map naming the places she's written about so the curious reader can check his or her guesses.
Though each of the children in this book describes a house and lifestyle that are completely unique to his or her own culture, it quickly becomes clear that amidst all our differences, we can find unity. "Our house, the earth. Our roof, the sky. Our house has stars." A beautiful statement.