How The Stars Came To Be

　　New into paperback! The Fisherman’s Daughter loved to dance in the sunlight, and bathe in the glow of the moon, but when the moon disappeared for a few nights each month, she worried about her father and how he would find his way home from the sea in the darkness of the night. One night the sun finds her sobbing and so he takes one of his rays and smashes it onto the ground, creating the stars and gives the girl the task of putting them into the dark night sky. This beautifully illustrated story gives us a new folk tale, and a new way to look up at the night sky.

　　Poonam Mistry is a freelance illustrator living in the UK. She graduated in 2010 with a degree in Graphic Design and Illustration from the University of Hertfordshire. Her style incorporates her love of nature and her Indian roots and explores the relationships between pattern, shapes and colour. Poonam’s upbringing and childhood have heavily influenced her work, in particular being surrounded by Indian fabrics, Kalamkari textiles, Madhubani paintings and hand painted ornaments. These patterns and intricate details are featured heavily in her style of work. She loves folklore tales and stories of Hindu Gods and Goddesses and these have been a rich source of inspiration in a number of her illustrations. Poonam’s work is drawn by hand with black ink before she uses computer software to add colour and adjust the composition of her illustrations.