Sophie Shares the Stars

Written by Heather Smith

Illustrated by Catherine Petit

Orca Book Publishers

978-1-4598-4015-7

32 pp.

Ages 3–5

September 2025 

 

Sophie has lived with her Michael since she was three years old. (She is eight now.) It's obvious that she adores her adopted father and he her. In fact, he's given her the universe both as a ceiling display and as a deeply felt sentiment.

My Michael says, "You are the whole universe."

I think that means he can't live without me. (pg. 3) 

From Sophie Shares the Stars, written by Heather Smith, illustrated by Catherine Petit

The life they have together is filled with love. They spend time talking, playing, and going to beach, and, when she messes up, he helps do better. But when her father, affectionately called My Michael, becomes ill, things change. It doesn't change between them but around them. Sophie tries to help him as he helped her when she had been ill. But Michael's illness is not a flu or a cold or a broken leg or anything with a visible nature. He has one of the myriads of invisible illnesses that most people do not see. Not surprising that their neighbour, Mr. Donaldson, declares that he saw Michael the day before and he didn't look sick. The child never knows what to say—and she shouldn't have to explain for her father—and always changes the subject.

From Sophie Shares the Stars, written by Heather Smith, illustrated by Catherine Petit

But the one thing Sophie can do is share her universe with him. By removing some of the glow-in-the-dark stars from her ceiling and creating the Big Dipper on the wall behind her Michael's bed, she shares the stars with him. Her Michael has good days and bad, but she's always there to hope he'll feel better, to make sure he knows he's loved, and to see him as the Michael is.

From Sophie Shares the Stars, written by Heather Smith, illustrated by Catherine Petit

Sophie Shares the Stars is a touching story about a familial relationship, but it tackles more by including adoption and an invisible illness. In her "Author's Note," Heather Smith speaks to her personal connection with the story, but, even without that knowledge, I know that she would have treated the topics with sensitivity and understanding, never with judgement. Anyone with an invisible illness, particularly those which are chronic or a mental illness, can attest to the frustration and isolation that comes with dealing with the illness and with others. If those others cannot see a cast, an open wound, or bandages, many will not understand the complex symptoms with which the ill person is suffering. I appreciate that Heather Smith never reveals Sophie's Michael's illness, but it really is irrelevant to the story. It is invisible and that's all that needs to be said. Because the story is about Sophie and her relationship with her Michael, and how they became a family, and grow stronger each day as a family, regardless of the challenge of his illness.

 

Montreal illustrator Catherine Petit uses pencil and digital tools to create the upbeat artwork that is all about the relationship between father and daughter. This child is well loved, bursts with energy and wonder, and shares her goodness with her father, knowing that he would choose her again. His open arms, and his dedication to bringing her joy and safety, are visible in every illustration, even when he's not feeling his best. And her devotion to him is palpable. She may be his universe, but Catherine Petit lets us see her smile, her eyes, and her concerned hugs and soothing caresses that he is hers.

 

I know this picture book is aimed at young children, and those who have been fostered or adopted will appreciate how a new family can be created when a birth family is not available to care for a child. But Sophie Shares the Stars will also be a reminder to all readers that there are those who live with invisible illnesses who many appear unimpaired—"appear" is the operative word—but whose lives and those who love them are significantly impacted, even when symptoms wax and wane. Thankfully for both Sophie and her Michael, they are there for the other to make life not just bearable but bright.