With his new children’s book Little Star, Anthony DeStefano has created a story that successfully captures the true spirit of Christmas giving. Little Star is “the smallest, loneliest star in the sky,” but he is the only star to recognize the great king that is about to be born. The gift he gives to the king will take all his energy and effort, and will eventually require the ultimate sacrifice.
The book deals with two important themes that are very important for children to grasp: first, the idea that everyone is important, no matter how little; and second, the value of self-giving love. Little Star would be an excellent choice for sharing with students in a classroom or religious education program, and would lead naturally to a meaningful discussion about true generosity.
How good is Little Star? I read it to the two resident experts on children’s books in my house: a daughter in Kindergarten and a daughter in sixth grade. The kindergartner became enamored with Mark Elliot’s beautiful illustrations and immediately began drawing her own pictures of Little Star. The sixth grader loved the story so much she was inspired to spend the rest of the evening writing her own Christmas story.
I have a feeling that reading Little Star has just become a family Christmas tradition in our house.
Little Star, by Anthony DeStefano. Waterbrook Press. Amazon Price: $9.35
From the back cover:
A king is about to be born! The stars in the heavens are competing to shine the brightest to celebrate his birth. But when they see the poor family, the donkey, the shabby stable, the stars all think, That can’t possibly be a king. We’ve been fooled.
All except one. The smallest, loneliest star in the sky, Little Star, is the only one to understand what the king was about to bring to the world. But what can Little Star do for him?
Certain to become a Christmas classic, this delightful tale connects the star atop our Christmas trees to the true meaning of Christmas, the birth of Jesus, in the hearts and minds of young children.
Anthony DeStefano is the bestselling author of A Travel Guide to Heaven, Ten Prayers God Always Says Yes To, This Little Prayer of Mine, and I Just Can’t Take it Anymore!
Mark Elliott’s brilliant illustrations have appeared in many picture books and novels for young readers, including Gail Carson Levine’s ever-popular Princess Tales series. His acclaimed artwork delivers inspiration, wonder, and timeless beauty on every page.
Here is the promotional video from Waterbrook Press:
Finally, in this excerpt from EWTN’s BookMark, Anthony DeStefano explains the role Frank McCourt played in the writing of Little Star: