Star Light, Star Bright

Written By
Kristi Sprinkle

and Illustrated By
Estelle Cappellieri

"Star-light, star-bright
First star I've seen tonight;
I wish I may, I wish I might
Get the wish I wish tonight."




"Oh no, not again!" Ray shook his head and crossed his arms. "The child saw Sparkle first. That's not fair."

"What do you mean it's not fair? I shine brighter than you do and I think that's pretty fair." Sparkle raised her head as Ray was about to protest. "Shhh, I'm busy granting a wish."

Down on Earth, little Tammy shut her eyes tightly and made the wish that she would see Mutto, her long lost dog that disappeared weeks before.

Tammy loved the little puppy she received on Christmas day from one of her neighbors. It was the first pet she ever had and the best Christmas present she had ever been given. She played with the dog endlessly and couldn't wait to come home from school to see it. Tammy cried for days when he disappeared.

"Thank you, star," Tammy said as she ran home at dusk after a full day of play. When she arrived home, Mutto was waiting for her!

"You see? She even said 'thank you.' I like this little girl," Sparkle beamed.

"It's not fair. It's just not fair." Ray began crying and was so frustrated that he could not outshine Sparkle, that his light became dimmer and dimmer. The other stars knew that Ray was envious of Sparkle.

"When you use all your energy on pouting, your light isn't as bright and then no one can see you from down there." Sparkle pointed to the Earth. "You have to be proud to be a star and shine brightly - from within."

Another star agreed Ray was spending too much energy on crying and not enough on shining. Energy was important for a star.

Ray didn't hear, though, and continued to brood evening after evening when children all over the world noticed Sparkle first.

"Star-light, star-bright, first star I've seen tonight.." Ooooh, Ray thought, "I hate those words. I want to be the one who grants wishes. I want to be noticed first."

Each night, his brightness dimmed and he lacked the energy to shine as brilliantly as he was capable of shining.

One night, Sparkle became ill and her light dimmed for a long, long time. All the stars knew about it and one of them asked Sparkle, "Are you all right? Are you going to shine tonight?"

Sparkle didn't speak. She slept in the daylight and when it was almost time for her nightly performance, everyone worried that she would lose her brilliance.

"You have to shine, Sparkle. The children count on you."

When Ray overheard that Sparkle was sick, he didn't think about being top star that night. He was thinking about Sparkle and became sad that she was sick.

Sparkle, now awakened by all the commotion of the evening and all the lights beginning to shine on Earth, called to Ray. She told him in a raspy voice, "Ray, you have to shine for me tonight. You have to be brighter than the brightest you've ever been." Sparkle then rolled over and went back to sleep.

Ray didn't know what to do. He was so worried about making an appearance that he shook with nervousness. Others noticed and assured him that it would be okay. Now, they said, was the time to prove who was the brightest star.

Ray thought about it. "Hey, those stars are right. I can be as bright as Sparkle and outshine any star in the galaxy."

Just as the last light faded and the night sky began to turn purple, the other stars gathered around Ray.

Ray mustered up all he knew and started to shine, but it wasn't enough. The other stars told Ray that he had very little time left to be the first star to shine that night.

Ray had no inspiration until he remembered Sparkle. He had to do this for Her. His light became more brilliant, but not enough to be first. The other stars were waiting. Ray thought about what Sparkle said, "You have to be proud to be a star. You have to shine from within."

Ray thought how wonderful it was to shine and be a star and how many people counted on the whole sky, not just one star to see them through the night. He was proud, he thought, to be a part of the night sky, even if he wasn't always the most brilliant one.

Suddenly, his light grew brighter and brighter until he broke through the night with a brilliance that even he was surprised to see.

Down on Earth a child began reciting as he stared into Ray's twinkling eyes:

"Star-light, star-bright,
First star I've seen tonight."

Ray glowed and felt as if he were the brightest star ever. From then on, the two stars, Sparkle and Ray, shared the spotlight and became the greatest stars in their galaxy.

The End