Brilliant Star: Heroes in This World and Beyond

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“The hero is one who kindles a great light in the world, who sets up blazing torches in the dark streets of life for men to see by.”
—Felix Adler

If you asked a group of children, “Who are your heroes?” you’d get a diverse array of answers. Some might say their parents or grandparents. Some might list their favorite comic book characters. Some might name an inspiring historical or religious figure. Heroes come in all shapes and sizes—old or young, living or dead, real or imaginary. And they are important. Having people to look up to and emulate is a vital part of human development. 

However, finding role models for kids in an age of sensational media and celebrity mania can be challenging. That’s where Brilliant Star can help. In each issue, Brilliant Star features interviews with inspirational Bahá’ís, biographical sketches of heroes who have passed on, and stories of courage, honor, and integrity from religious history. It even provides some imaginary superheroes in our “Lightning and Luna” comic, which has become a favorite among Brilliant Star’s readers.

As parents and teachers, we can use these popular features in Brilliant Star to facilitate discussions with children about what makes a hero, how people exemplify virtues in their lives in diverse ways, and how we can use people’s stories as inspiration in our own lives.  

A treasury of printable PDFs is available online in Brilliant Star’s Luminous Library. Simply type a term in the search window, then select “Printable PDFs” from the results page. 

Stargazer: Interviews with Inspirational Bahá’ís

In each issue, Brilliant Star features an interview with a Bahá’í who is serving humanity in inspiring ways. From artists to authors to aerospace engineers, there are Stargazers for kids with all kinds of aspirations. Questions and answers cover a variety of topics, including upbringing, education, career, spiritual transformation, service to humanity, and advice for kids.

Ideas for how to use it:

• Ask a child if they’d like to read the interview out loud together. Have the child read the questions and you read the answers, or vice versa.
• Ask questions to help kids connect with character qualities that are mentioned or alluded to in the interview. For example, “What does Dr. Joy Angela DeGruy say kids who are facing prejudice need to do?”
• Ask the child what he or she thinks about the advice the Stargazer offers kids.
• Invite your child to imagine what it would be like to have a career or experiences similar to the Stargazer’s. Is it a field he or she might enjoy? How can you learn more about it together?
• Explore extended interviews for some Stargazers on our website—they share many more insights than we’re able to fit in the print magazine.
• Encourage kids to create their own questions and invite an inspirational person in the community to be interviewed.

Shining Lamp: Bahá’ís Who Served Humanity with Radiance

Heroes from history offer a more complete picture of how they overcame adversity or served humanity at different stages of their lives. Brilliant Star’s “Shining Lamp” feature highlights the stories of Bahá’ís who played a significant role in the history of the faith and provides examples of historical heroes.

Ideas for how to use it:

• The one-page story format makes “Shining Lamp” easy to read aloud over breakfast or before bed.
• Discuss with kids the character qualities that the person exemplified in his or her life. For example, what virtues did Louis Gregory and his wife Louisa need to face discrimination against interracial couples? How do you think Táhirih found the courage to speak up to the officials who took her to her execution?
• Explore other discussion topics: What difficulties did the person face? How did he or she overcome them? If you could ask that person one question, what would it be? What are three words you would use to describe that person?
• Research more about the time period and place in which the person lived. What was life like then? How would their day be different than yours?
• Learn more about the contributions the person made. For example, you could look up details about the Shrine of the Báb, designed by Sutherland Maxwell.

Bahá’u’lláh’s Life and Stories of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá

Religious figures, such as the Founders of the world’s religions and their successors and disciples, are natural heroes for many people. Each issue of Brilliant Star includes a story from the life of Bahá’u’lláh, the Prophet-Founder of the Bahá’í Faith. Sometimes a one-page story, sometimes a story plus an activity, the “Bahá’u’lláh’s Life” feature offers a glimpse of religious history and Bahá’u’lláh’s inspiring character.

Brilliant Star also periodically features stories about ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, the eldest son of Bahá’u’lláh and leader of the Bahá’í Faith after His passing. For example, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá traveled to North America in 1912, and Brilliant Star ran a series of stories to celebrate the centenary of that event in 2012. 

Ideas for how to use them:

• Read the story aloud with your family and discuss what everyone finds inspiring in it. When reading stories about spiritual figures or religious history, I try to convey a sense of reverence without becoming overly heavy or “preachy.” I always remind myself that dignity and light-heartedness are not mutually exclusive. Kids will feel more connected with God and His Messengers if they know they can be themselves—which is sometimes silly or giddy—as long as they remain respectful.
• Many “Bahá’u’lláh’s Life” pages include a puzzle or activity that kids can do on their own, but making it a family affair can be fun, too. Take turns finding words in a word search or items in a hidden picture.
• Invite kids to retell the story in their own words or to create a piece of art inspired by the story.
• Encourage kids to memorize stories and quotes from Bahá’u’lláh and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá to share at community gatherings.
   

Lightning and Luna

Brilliant Star’s readers love the superhero comic “Lightning & Luna.” It’s a great resource for discussing heroes. You can read more here, but I’ll give a brief synopsis: Lightning and Luna are siblings (really named Baxter and Bridget) who are part of a secret superhero network called the Uplifters (UPLIFT is an acronym for United for Peace, Love, Integrity, Faith, and Truth). Their super-cool superpowers, such as invisibility and flight, are fueled by their virtues. These powers only function when used in service, and the Uplifters develop new superpowers over time. They use their superpowers (and other virtues) to defeat villains known as Erasers, who strive to eliminate virtues from the world. Baxter and Bridget also face normal kid challenges with their friends and family, on top of grappling with their secret identities and responsibilities as superheroes.

Enjoy every episode of Lightning & Luna by downloading the free iPad app from the Apple App store!

 

Ideas for how to use it:

• The best thing you can do as a parent or teacher is get to know Lightning and Luna, mainly so you can ask educated questions. Then ask your kids what Lightning and Luna are up to in each issue. Most kids won’t have read the comic from the beginning (Episode #1 appeared in 2004), but they pick up the storyline amazingly fast.
• Ask kids what superpower they’d want to have if they were Uplifters. What would their superhero name be? What would their strongest virtues be as a superhero?
• If they enjoy drawing and writing, encourage your children to draw Lightning, Luna, and other Uplifters, or to create their own Uplifter comic. You can even invite them to come up with their own Eraser villains and figure out how they might be defeated.

We can’t choose our kids’ heroes for them, but they deserve good examples to choose from. As parents and teachers, we can help provide heroes who can inspire kids to make our world a little brighter.

How do you use Brilliant Star? Join the discussion in our Facebook group, the Brilliant Star Idea Exchange, or e-mail us at brilliant@usbnc.org.
 

Annie Reneau is a homeschooling mom of three, lover of chocolate and travel, and former assistant editor with Brilliant Star. She now works as associate editor at Upworthy/GOOD and shares her personal musings on life and parenting at Motherhood and More.

Updated on 11.13.17