The Tiny Star: Storytelling Magic by Mem Fox

I knew I was in for a treat when I saw beloved picture book author Mem Fox’s name and the softly rendered cover illustration by Freya Blackwood. But despite my lofty expectations, this picture book exceeded them. It was a balm to my soul, a book I want to reach for time and again so I can reclaim that feeling. The Tiny Star is true storytelling magic: I can’t imagine a better book to share with the young children in your life.

Here’s the premise:

A tiny star falls to the earth and becomes a baby. The community immediately loves and cares for the baby and “they treated it gently and wrapped it warmly in a quilt all covered with stars.”

As the years pass, the baby grows and grows, and the love, care, and attention it receives (and gives) never wanes. When the star person begins to shrink, the community again gently wrap it in a star-covered quilt. Then the unimaginable happens: the star person disappears completely.

Young and old feel the loss deeply. But a child discovers the star had “merely returned to its home in the heavens” where it could watch over and love them forever more.

This story helps explain the cycle of life and gently shows how important it is to support and care for each other through times of joy and times of sadness. What I especially love about this magical story is how the community bands together to care for the star being throughout its time among them, grieves together when the star being disappears, and celebrates the return of lightness and joy together when they realize that every twinkle in the sky is a sign of the star’s enduring love for them. If The Tiny Star does nothing other than impart the lesson that we should not grieve alone, it’s worth its weight in gold. But this story has layers upon layers of goodness, all of which will resonate with you and your loved ones long after you experience this magical book together.