With stunning artwork and a beautiful message about standing out and finding your path, “Twinkle the Littlest Star” is a wonderful book for the little ones. The prose is lyrical and rhythmic, and full page illustrations keep you wanting to turn the page and see more. And the ending, which tied it to faith and the holiday season, was a delightful surprise. I only wish it was longer!

Twinkle, the Littlest Star is about just that- the littlest star who couldn't find her place to fit in. Little does she know that she'll be the Christmas Star, for all to see.

This book feels so special. For any child that feels small or left out, this will empower them to feel that they are special and will do big things one day.

The illustrations are really pretty- they're soft, flowing, and fit right in to that Christmas feel.

The book follows a rhyme scheme, so it will be easy to pick up the rhythm for young and experienced readers alike.

This book feels like it will be a family favorite read every year for Christmas and beyond.

🌟How bright appears the Morning Star,
with mercy beaming from afar;
the host of heav'n rejoices;
O Righteous Branch, O Jesse’s Rod!
Thou Son of Man and Son of God!
We, too, will lift our voices:
Jesus, Jesus! Holy, holy, yet most lowly,
draw Thou near us;
great Emmanuel, come and hear us.🌟

The verse above is from one of my favorite Christmas hymns. It is not as well known, but definitely complements this new seasonal picture book.

Twinkle is the littlest star and struggles to find a place to shine. As she wanders from place to place and group to group, her light grows diminished. Many of us know that feeling! Then she meets the angel and is given a place to shine to announce the birth of Jesus. What a privilege!

Psalm 147:4 (ESV) says: "He determines the number of the stars; he gives to all of them their names." That is something to contemplate as we consider the Christmas story. There was a star created just for the purpose of announcing the birth of the King. 👑

As Leslie Coburn says in her dedication: "To all the littlest stars. You were created on purpose." Yes, indeed! Shine, little stars, just like the star of old. 🌟

Thank you first of all to my GR friend Rosh for bringing this beautiful picture book to my attention. Love your recs! And thank you to Cross My Heart Press and NetGalley for a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is an absolutely gorgeous story of a tiny star called Twinkle who is trying to find her place in the universe. A mash-up of the nursery rhyme and the story of Christmas, this is the perfect bedtime book for kids, to show them that each star (and child) is special and that we can all do great things.

Thank you to Cross My Heart Press and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Twinkle The littlest Star by Leslie Colburn
Illustrated by Marcin Piwowarrski

Thank you @netgalley for my review copy

This children's story features a different version of the classic Christmas nativity. I found it a nice and unique one. The illustrations are very pretty and work well with the rhyming text.

In a Nutshell: A picture book combining the story of Christmas with the popular nursery rhyme. I love how the two are intertwined. Leaves some questions unanswered, but overall, this unusual Christmas picture book is a winner.

Plot Preview:
Twinkle is the smallest star and doesn’t glow as bright as the other stars around her. She feels a little dismayed at being so dim, but at the encouragement of the moon, she goes in search for her purpose. When an angel appears to her, she finally realises her role.

At a macro level, I loved this story. ‘Twinkle Twinkle Little Star’ is such a popular nursery rhyme, but this book brilliantly turns the small star into a spotlight for a very memorable birth. I didn’t expect Christmas content in this book because I had grabbed it only for the cover and the title. A pleasant surprise, indeed!
Twinkle is a great eponymous character. I like how she keeps on trying despite being rejected by the other stars, and how she doesn’t hesitate to approach even those who were bigger and brighter than her. She also makes peace with herself after a point, instead of stressing endlessly over her dimness. There are many values that little ones can learn from her.
A couple of things stopped me from going higher in my rating. For one, there’s no explanation of how Twinkle suddenly turned bright. She was dim, the angel takes her near Earth, and suddenly, she is bright! Her apparent increased brightness makes sense to Earth dwellers as the star is closer to them now, but to Twinkle herself, her light would be the same level. Did something magical occur? Did the angel grant her more luminosity? I would have liked some *light* shed on this point. I also wasn’t too satisfied with the very last line of the story: ‘a prince, a newborn king.’ While Christians know that both these terms are used to refer to Jesus, seeing both ‘prince’ and ‘king’ in a single sentence and referring to the same baby at once might confuse some little ones.
The story is written in simple rhymes in the ABCB scheme. I am not usually a fan of rhythmic prose, but they work well in this book and stick to the meter. Most of the words are fairly easy, and the trickier ones are simple to explain. The dialogues in the story are written in a lovely highlighted font with bright colours, while the rest of the text is in ordinary serif. This makes the conversations stand out.
The illustrations are really cute. Twinkle looks like a little ballerina with her tutu and ballet shoes. I would have expected a star to be dressed in white, so her Barbie-pink vest and aubergine tutu was a colourful surprise. There’s a smudged pastel kind of effect to the graphics, which works excellently for this story.
Definitely recommended. Just as the original nursery rhyme is a lullaby, this one too would make a lovely bedtime tale. It’s charming enough to be read throughout the year, but would be especially magical in this blessed season. The story ought to work well for ages 3-8.
4.25 stars.
My thanks to Cross My Heart Press for providing the DRC of “Twinkle, the Littlest Star” via NetGalley. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

Twinkle, the Littlest Star is a heartwarming story about perseverance and finding your unique purpose. Despite being small and overlooked, Twinkle shows that everyone has a special role to play. This sweet tale encourages children to stay hopeful and trust in their own worth, offering a new, inspiring take on the biblical star. A perfect read for young readers to embrace their uniqueness.

Such a sweet twist to a classic Christmas story! I loved the illustrations, and can’t wait to share this one with my child. It teaches that even the tiniest star can shine through and be called to a greater purpose!

My 5 year old daughter loved this book!

Her review: I liked the people as the stars and that the little star got to help and be important. I liked the pictures that went with the story.

This was a really sweet twist on the Christmas nativity story - centered on the star (Twinkle). It's a very cute book for young kids - with the cadence and rhyming something that keeps the story engaging and moving for the kids to follow along. The illustrations are gorgeous and the message in the book is wholesome and encouraging.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC to review!

This is such a beautiful picture book, with a unique blend of nursery rhyme, nativity story and a tale of finding your special purpose. My children were engaged from the very beginning and even commented on the beautiful illustrations. I appreciate the diversity represented in this story, as we all come in various shades, shapes and sizes. We have read this several times already and look forward to sharing this story together many more times before Christmas.
Many thanks to the publisher for the digital review copy via NetGalley. This review is voluntary and all opinions expressed are my own.

The story of a small star who doesn’t fit in. She finds a bigger purpose (no spoilers) and is the most important star of all.

This book had absolutely beautiful illustrations that I can only imagine everyone would love. I read this short story book knowing what the story was based on, I honestly was let down by the wishy washing of the message.

When I read a story to my girl, I want her to learn something. I do not mind when book teach stuff about other religions. The ending of this book, It wasn't what I expected. A tiny, not so bright star is looking to shine and dazzle and my girl couldn't understand why she shined bright in the end.

A big no for me if I'm being honest coz frankly this book taught her nothing. My girl was enchanted with the star and beautiful illustrations. And she kept asking me how the star ended up being something of value, and she couldn't understand how shining on the "baby" made it all worth her while.

I have read her so many books here on Netgalley, never I had an issue in explaining her the stuff. For this book, apart from that ending, everything else was perfect.

Thank you Netgalley and children's fiction for the book in exchange of an honest review.

Este es un libro hermoso con un mensaje muy especial. Nunca debemos dejar que nadie apague nuestra luz ni olvidar brillar. Se recomienda fácilmente a todos, las ilustraciones también son increíbles. Perfecto para cualquier época del año, pero especialmente para Navidad.

"Twinkle, the Littlest Star" by Leslie Colburn is a darling little rhyme story for children. It follows Twinkle, a small star who wants to belong but is not really fitting in with other stars in the universe due to her small size. Its a story of looking for a place to belong where you are loved and needed, until she finally meets an angel who reveals her true purpose to her.
It's trully a lovely story and the illustrations are beautiful.

Such a precious story with gorgeous illustrations! I would absolutely recommend this! Truly show no matter how small you are you can do big things

This is a beautiful book with such a special message. We should never let anyone dim our light or forget to shine. Easily recommended to all, the illustrations are incredible as well. Perfect for anytime of the year, but especially at Christmas. Absolutely lovely!

Oh this is just absolutely adorable. The artwork is beautiful, the characters are so cute and it has so many great messages to teach such as self love and kindness

In this heartwarming Christmas tale, Twinkle, the smallest star, feels out of place among the other stars who say she’s too tiny to shine. But when an angel appears, Twinkle learns her purpose and lights the way to a miraculous birth, proving even the littlest stars can shine the brightest.

This charming children’s book beautifully conveys messages of self-worth, purpose, and kindness. The story encourages young readers to embrace their uniqueness and reminds them that even the smallest among us can make a big difference. With its lovely illustrations and heartfelt message, this book is perfect for bedtime reading, especially as the holiday season approaches.