Title: “Stella: Star of the Sea”
Author & Illustrator: Marie-Louise Gay
Publisher and Year: Publishers Group West 1999
Number of Pages: 29
Tags: Family, 2-3, 4-5, Fiction, Stephanie Rudi
Genres: Fiction
Analysis: The story is about a girl named Stella and her little brother, Sam, and the two go to the ocean to play. Sam asks so many questions about the ocean because he is afraid of the unknown, and he doesn’t want to jump into the sea to join Stella until the very end because she answers all of his questions. It is a good book about trying new things and not focusing so much about all of your worries.
“Stella: Star of the Sea” is a window into the world of these two children experiencing the ocean with them. The characters are inviting the reader into their day and their experiences because the text is written as if we are there listening to them talk, and the illustrations are close up scenes. Perceptually, the audience sees the ocean and how two children interact with it. One is swimming and the other is on dry land, asking questions about the water. From a structural standpoint, the two main characters are a little girl and her younger brother who are left alone, and one is fearless while the other is more cautious.
The ideological view of this book is not necessarily social justice related, but it does tell the reader that it’s okay to ask questions, but you shouldn’t be afraid to try new things. The little brother Sam spends the whole book wondering about the ocean, but he doesn’t really get to enjoy it until he just jumps in and joins his sister. The picture book codes show Sam more to the left because he’s insecure, and Stella is more to the right of the page since she feels more secure in her situation. The page is framed, so we are looking at the situation from an outside perspective which makes the story more of a scene from a story and not as real. The book is overall very light and fun, which is why it’s a good read for young children.
