Counting Stars with Grandpa

by Neil Cosmos

A nighttime adventure, bright and grand. Stella finds stars across the land.

Grade 1: Early readers10 pages

A child learns about constellations and planets during evening stargazing sessions with their grandfather

Characters

Stella

Grandpa Joe

+1 more

Style

Crayon & Colored Pencil

Story

Story Arc

The backyard was dark. Stella felt excited. Grandpa set up the big telescope. It looked tall against the dim light.

Stella peered into the eyepiece. He hoped to see many bright stars. But only a few tiny dots blinked back. He looked closely, his brow furrowed.

Grandpa gently took a turn. He saw the city lights glowing. The tall streetlights shone brightly nearby. He looked at the sky and then shook his head.

“Where are all the stars tonight?” Stella asked. Grandpa sighed softly. The sky felt too light to see them. He looked at Stella with kind eyes.

Grandpa pointed to the glow. “Too many lights here,” he explained. Stella looked at the bright, blurry sky. He pulled his pajama top tighter.

Grandpa thought for a moment. Then he smiled at Stella. “Let’s find a darker spot,” he whispered. Stella’s eyes widened with hope.

Stella helped Grandpa carefully. They packed the big telescope away. Then they put it in Grandpa’s car. They were ready for a drive.

They drove to a quiet, dark field. There were no bright city lights. Stella peered out the window. His gentle smile returned.

Grandpa set up the telescope again. The field was very dark. Stella looked through the eyepiece. The sky was filled with sparkling stars!

“So many stars!” Stella whispered. Grandpa put his hand on Stella’s shoulder. “The universe is amazing,” he said softly. Stella felt wonderful and small.

The end

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Words to know

peered: It means to look very closely at something, like looking through a window to see outside.; Stella peered into the eyepiece.
furrowed: This is when your eyebrows make little lines because you are thinking hard or are a little worried.; He looked closely, his brow furrowed.
glowing: It means shining with a soft, steady light, like a nightlight.; He saw the city lights glowing.
explained: This is when you tell someone something so they can understand it better.; “Too many lights here,” he explained.
blurry: It means not clear, like when you can't see something sharply and it looks fuzzy.; Stella looked at the bright, blurry sky.
whispered: This is when you talk very softly, so other people can't hear you easily.; “Let’s find a darker spot,” he whispered.
universe: It means all of space and everything in it, like stars, planets, and galaxies.; “The universe is amazing,” he said softly.
sparkling: It means shining with many small flashes of light, like glitter.; The sky was filled with sparkling stars!