Estrellita, the Little Wishing Star

Estrellita, the Little Wishing Star is a tale for young readers, written and illustrated by May M. Tobias, and published in 2002. The protagonist of this story is a little star, Estrellita, whose ultimate goal in life is to become a wishing star. But Estrellita lacks the discipline required to become a wishing star, and always appears in the sky too late. One evening, she sees a little orphan boy, Noel, who has the saddest eyes she has ever seen, and decides that she wants to be his wishing star. But the boy is very sick, and in order to notice Estrellita, she must make a great effort to shine brightly. Moreover, if she grants the boy's wish, Estrellita will die. Nevertheless, the little star does her best to shine bright and she grants the boy's wish, which is to see his mother. The next day, which is Christmas day, Noel wakes up and he has been mysteriously cured of his illness.



Tobias's work is a simple, but moving tale which teaches a powerful message about the transforming power of love. The book belongs to the fantasy genre. Even though it takes place in a realistic place, an actual town, the events that unfold, such as the

granting of Noel's wish, are not realistic. Moreover, the main character, Estrellita, is also an unrealistic character, a star that can think, talk and make decisions like a human being.

The tale is very well written. The writing is simple, but it also has a poetic quality, which complements the dreamy atmosphere of the story. The characters are well developed, particularly Estrellita, whose thoughts and dilemmas are described very thoroughly. Another interesting character is Mr Sun, who is a sort of father figure, that advises Estrellita.

The illustrations are very beautiful and complement the atmosphere of the story. Tobias uses mainly the colours blue, deep purple and bright yellow. The bright yellow of Estrellita and the other stars looks beautiful contrasted with the deep blue of the sky.

After having the children read this book, I would ask
them the following questions:





1)What do you think of Estrellita's sacrifice? Would you do the same?

2)Estrellita's ultimate goal in life was to be a wishing star?What is

your ultimate goal in life?

3)If you could have a wish come true, what would it be?



As a motivational activity, I would distribute colored cardboard paper to my students and have them cut out star shapes. Another motivational activity could be to have them write a hypothetical letter to Estrellita, asking her to grant one of their wishes.



I think that this is a great book for young readers. Although the
subject may seem a little depressing, the way the story is told, the
vivid illustrations and the happy ending provide a counterweight
to the somewhat melancholy subject.

MAY TOBIAS-PAPA completed her MFA coursework and Bachelor of Fine Arts degree at the University of the Philippines where she taught typography, illustration, layout and copywriting subjects. May's portfolio as writer and illustrator of children's books consists of work published by Adarna House, Bookmark, Tahanan Books, Lampara Books, Liwayway Marketing Corporation and Vibal Publishing/LG&M Corp.

Other works include:

A Day in the Market(2010)



References:

Galda, C. &. (2011). Literature and the Child Seventh Edition .

 

Belmont: Wadsworth Publishing .

 

Tobias M,, May(2002). Estrellita, the Little Wishing Star. Adarna

House.

May Tobias-Papa. Littlewishingstar.wordpress. Retrieved from

http://littlewishingstar.wordpress.com/