"Little Star" is a tender Christmas tale about the smallest star in the universe, ignored because of his size, who refused to let the opinions of his fellow stars discourage from doing what he knew was right and becoming the most famous star in history: the Christmas Star. It is a powerful story which encourages children to love Jesus with all their hearts and remember that their whole-hearted gift of themselves to Him is the heart of Christmas.

The story is set in a home where a little boy is searching the night sky for the Christmas Star. His father tells him the story of why the Star no longer graces the sky on Christmas. When the birth of Jesus approached, the stars in heaven were excited about the news that a king was coming whose message would change the world forever, and that the star which shone most brightly for Him would win a special reward. They were dusted by long tailed comets to make them sparkle; all but Little Star who was once again overlooked because of his littleness. As the stars watched from Heaven, the Holy Family was rejected over and over again, and the tiny child was born quietly in the cold, dark stable. Little Star thought it was a strange way for a king to be born. However, he was not discouraged like the bigger stars who gave up on the challenge to be the brightest star. Little Star knew that being little does not mean you are less important to God. "I think I understand," Little Star cried out, "The Baby Jesus IS a king! He's just little."

So, Little Star burned with all his strength, offering his light and warmth to the Baby Jesus in the drafty stable, despite warnings from other stars that burning so brightly would shorten his life. Little Star was the only star who understood that Jesus wanted to be born little to show all the people of the world that he loved them, no matter how small and poor they are.

"Little Star" is a simple story told in young children's language, warmly illustrated with engaging, Disney-like images, which will appeal to the toddler. Yet it is imbued with layers of meaning which will challenge the adults who read the story to look deeper into their understanding of the Gospel.

Leticia Velasquez is the founder of Catholic Media Review.

This article is published by Leticia Velasquez and MercatorNet under a Creative Commons licence. You may republish it or translate it free of charge with attribution for non-commercial purposes following these guidelines. If you teach at a university we ask that your department make a donation. Commercial media must contact us for permission and fees. Some articles on this site are published under different terms.