The Star Fish Story in English for Kids

The star fish story is about an old man and a young boy who leaves an ever-lasting impact on the man with his distinctive approach towards doing something for a single starfish. All of us have the opportunity to create positive change, however, more often than not, we delay our actions awaiting someone else to take action. In order to avoid facing the bigger challenges, we start procrastinating by rationalizing, “What kind of difference can I really make?” The starfish story is a perfect example of you might not be able to change the entire world, but at least you can make a difference in a small area. Whether it is one drop of rain, one lake, one animal, one leaf, or one tree, our environment deserves our careful attention since we only have one planet to live on. It is possible to make a difference with small changes when we work together. Bring about change in someone's life by being the change.

The Origin of Star Fish Story

The Starfish story originates from the famous story "The Star Thrower" by Loren Eiseley.

In 1969, Loren Eiseley (1907-1977) published a 16-page essay titled "The Star Thrower" in The Unexpected Universe. A 1978 anthology, The Star Thrower, contained Eiseley's works (including the essay), which he completed shortly before his death. However, there have been multiple adaptations of the same stories throughout the year, making it one of the most influential stories.

The Starfish Story Summary in English 

Once upon a time, an old man would walk along the beach before starting his work. Each morning, he would go to the seaside to write.

As he moved forward, he noticed thousands of starfish had washed ashore. The beach was littered with starfish in every direction, stretching as far as the eye could see. Looking down the beach, he noticed a human figure moving like a dancer.

The thought of someone who would dance to the day brought a smile to his lips. In order to catch up, he began to walk faster. Upon closer inspection, he discovered the person was a young man. Instead of dancing, he was reaching down to the shore and picking up something to throw into the water gently.

Upon approaching, he called out, "Good morning! What are you doing?" The young boy paused, looked up, and replied, "Throwing starfish into the ocean."

"I guess I should have asked, Why are you throwing starfish into the ocean?" The man asked again. 

"When the sun gets high, they will die, unless I throw them back into the water." He replied.

"But young man, don't you realize that there are miles and miles of beach and starfish all along it. You can't possibly make a difference!"

The young man listened politely to what was being said. After that, he bent down, picked up another starfish, and threw it into the sea, past the breaking waves. Then he turned to the old man, smiled sweetly, and said, "It made a difference to that one!"

Boy and the Starfish

The Starfish Story Moral for Kids

The starfish story moral is that every individual can make a difference, even if that difference is only felt by one person. Children will learn it is easy to feel powerless and overwhelmed, especially when others around us also claim there is no point in changing it. However, not being able to fix everything does not mean it is not important to change what you can. By reading this story, they will be encouraged to help others and be a helping hand to someone in need.

Note to Parents 

The art of storytelling captures the attention of children and creates an immersive experience that allows them to experience language learning in an engaging, dynamic, and sometimes playful way. An awareness of rhythm and structure can be created through the use of key vocabulary and phrases. Parents or kids can download the starfish story PDF available at our platform to enjoy this story anywhere or tell it as a bedtime story for fun.