Stella, Star of the Sea

By Marie-Louise Gay

Stella and her little brother are spending the day at the sea. Stella has been to the sea before and knows all its secrets, but Sam has many questions: "Does a catfish purr? Does a seahorse gallop?" Stella has an answer for them all. The only thing she isn't sure of, and neither are we, is whether Sam will ever come into the water.

Exquisite, evocative watercolors bring a diaphanous day at the beach alive in this perfect summer story. Gently humorous, Stella, Star of the Sea also captures the relationship between an older sister and her baby brother — a responsibility that can be both lots of fun and very trying.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Groundwood Books
• Release date: May 28, 2020
• ISBN: 9781773065311

Marie-Louise Gay

MARIE-LOUISE GAY is an internationally acclaimed children's book creator whose work has been translated into more than 20 languages. She has won many awards including two Governor General’s Literary Awards, the Vicky Metcalf Award for Children’s Literature, the Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award and the Elizabeth Mrazik-Cleaver Picture Book Award. She has also been nominated for the prestigious Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award and the Hans Christian Andersen Award. She lives in Montreal, Quebec.

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Reviews for Stella, Star of the Sea

[missloni-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A good book of exploring siblings working and having fun together. A very fun colorful read, so many open ended questions you could have with this book.

[frounfeltershelbie · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Little girl takes her brother to the beach with her because it is her favorite place and she wants to show him. She answers all of his questions with what she thinks is the real answer behind each question, by the end she gets upset because she realizes that she may not be right. Then they play and have fun together by the end of the book.

[kelseyannb · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was a very cute book. It reminded me of going to the beach when I was a kid with all of my cousin. We used to play in the ocean for hours and dig for oysters when the tide went out. Nothing quite compares to the magic of the beach when you're a child--and Stella and Sam are just beginning to uncover all it has to offer.

[abigailadams26 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The first in a series of picture-books detailing the adventures of siblings Stella and Sam, Stella, Star of the Sea follows the two children as they spend a day at the shore. Lively, enthusiastic Stella is anxious to introduce her little brother to the wonders of the sea, but timid Sam finds it all rather overwhelming. It's so big, and so noisy! His seemingly endless series of questions - "Are there any sea monsters? Where do starfish come from?" - are answered in an imaginative and subtly reassuring way by Stella, until she finally asks a question of her own...An engaging brother-sister tale, enhanced by charming watercolor illustrations, this lovely little book is also an exuberant tribute to the delights of a summer day at the beach. Gay's palette is bright, but never garish, and her figures have a cartoon-like oddness (very thin legs, and rather "blobby" torsos) that is somehow quite endearing. I can't say that I enjoyed Stella, Star of the Sea quite as much as some of my friends, but I can definitely see the appeal, and plan to look for other titles in this series, when the opportunity presents itself.

[indreamsawake · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I love the pictures in this book and, living in the midwest, it reminds me of our vacations at the beach.

[kylak_6 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A great way for a child and an adult to relate to their creative, adventurous side!

[jianlittle · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Very clever bit of writing with a ton of imagination. Book is not meant to be factual and this might take some explaining due to the nature of the audience for which it is written.

[missbrandysue · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Stella and Sam are at the beach. Sam is asking his sister a lot of questions but can't seem to be brave enough to get into the water. After asking question and question he finally decides to go play in the water.It's a cute story for siblings, questioning, and I think children will enjoy the playfulness of Sam not getting into the water. This book could fit into lots of great tags/lessons.

[sdando_2 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was a cute book. I like how Stella has an answer for almost every one of Sam's questions, even if it's not really correct. I think kids reading this will relate well to Sam's curiosity about new things. I also really like Stella's enthusiasm, and how much she wants to share her joy with Sam.

[allawishus_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Stella and Sam are at the beach; Stella is enthusiastic about all things ocean: sealife, shells, swimming, etc. Sam is hesitant and hangs back, asking Stella questions - if she doesn't know the answer, she makes it up, ha ha. (Sounds like my mother.) Eventually, Sam is satisfied with Stella's beachly knowledge and excitedly decides to join her in the water. There are many many lovely things about this title: the illustrations are really gorgeous watercolors with some mixed-media collage-type stuff thrown in occasionally. Stella and Sam are adorable cartoony tykes with round bellies and heads and pug noses. Stella's red hair is a shocking splash in the pastel ocean - the character herself matches her hair: exuberant, vibrant, etc. Sam is hesitant and nervous, but it's cute in the face of Stella's overwhelming surity. This is a really sweet and beautiful book. Loved it!

[lisaweaver_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A cute read for any child and adult. The illustrations are adorable and original. Can be an interactive read with kids, when Stella is asking questions, they can answer.

[conuly · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Stella and her brother Sam are visiting the sea. It's his first time, and he has a lot of questions, like so many children we know.Now, Stella seems to live in a genre I like to call "Children don't need parents". There are no parents in this book - and if you look closely, the only other people we see (and we don't see many of them, it's a very uncrowded beach) are children as well. (Don't overthink it, it'll only give you a headache and you won't be able to enjoy the book.) So the task of answering Sam's questions falls to her. And so she does answer them, with amazing patience, however fancifully. (I particularly liked reading that starfish are shooting stars that fell in love with the sea.)The real fun isn't in the Q&A session, which, no matter how cute, is just typical preschooler stuff (and we can all think of our own cuter stories to top it because our own cuties are the bestest, right?), but in the personalities. Without telling us explicitly, without making a big deal of it, we can see the huge difference in Sam's caution and curiosity with Stella's quite literal dive-right-in attitude. It makes them come alive as real-real people, and it's hard to do that in a short picture book.Apparently there's a whole series of these books. I have every intention of getting more of them.