"Stellaluna"

Today I want to share:

Pictured: Eight year old me in my itchy white crinoline dress while pozole brewed in the background. Because every 8 year old totally wants Pozole for their birthday.

1995. San Diego. North Park Community Park. Home of the North Park Water Tower.

Story Time:

For those who read my “Rainbow Fish” story, this is a part deux to that tale.

It was my eighth birthday, and as I mentioned in that story, I unwrapped my very first book. But wait… it wasn’t just one book… there was a second treasure, gifted in that beautiful technicolor wrapping paper.

Pictured Book📕: “Stellaluna” by Janell Cannon @harpercollins

It was Stellaluna. The artwork bewitched me for decades. There was something so captivating about a creature we commonly associate with being scary as children, and then suddenly empathizing with and humanizing it.

The way the artist captured the innocence and vulnerability of little Stellaluna stirred in me such complex emotions. I do believe this was the year I began my journey into becoming more philosophical. The complexity of emotions was explored so well visually that it provoked thoughts I had never experienced before.

The power these stories have to spark some kind of profound feeling inside children has always fascinated me. It’s what I incorporate into my work as a filmmaker and as an editor: to spark a feeling that is so universal and make it feel so intimate. That is something this book made me reflect deeply on.

This was the core of storytelling. As a small child seeking community and friendship, this story reminded me that sometimes the strongest bonds are the ones you make with the family you choose.

Sometimes if you wish hard enough, the universe is kind enough to give you your very own Stellaluna.

 #Storyteller #ChildhoodMemories #PictureBooks #immigrantstories