Copyright by Ewa Marszałek, 2025

Illustrations: Julia Sarapata de Carvalho

Editor: Paulina Zyszczak – Zyszczak.pl

DTP: Paulina Karbownik – Zyszczak.pl

Cover DTP: Przemysław Ciesielski

Translated by: Ewa Dratwa

Second Revised Edition

ISBN 978-83-976398-0-5

All rights reserved. Reprinting, copying, or distributing in an audio format all or part of the book only with the author’s written permission.

Visit Ewa Marszałek’s official website.

To Oskarek, sara and Kai.
Mum

Leo of Bethlehem

Leo the spider, whose web hung just above the manger in Bethlehem, finally tells the true Nativity story.

Leo the spider had lived in the stable in Bethlehem for as long as he could remember. His web was on the highest beam.

He liked it there because he had an excellent view from above. Every evening, he would go downstairs and take a walk around the stable to get some fresh air.

He often looked up at the sky. He knew it very well because he had tried to count the stars many times. Needless to say, he never succeeded.

Not because the number of the lights in the sky seemed infinite but because he could not count beyond a hundred and forty-seven.

It does not seem much, but it was enough to play counting games.

That evening, the sky looked different. When Leo the spider looked up to play counting stars again, he saw something brand new: a beautiful star shining above his head. He had definitely never seen it before.

It was bigger than the others and had a tail. Like a dog’s tail, only a little wider and, of course, much brighter.

The spider liked what he saw very much. He was completely enchanted by the unusual phenomenon in the Bethlehem sky.

‘It must be the Star that fulfils wishes,’ he said with absolute certainty.

Without wasting any time, he closed his eyes and said his first dream out loud:

‘I would like to have a wife.’

The request was presented so clearly that there could be no misunderstanding.

About the author

Ewa Marszałek (born in 1980 in Tczew) read Polish literature and sociology the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Gdansk. For many years, she worked for the IT industry. She is now developing her own publishing house and writing children’s books that tackle difficult topics. She debuted in 2021 with a Christmas story ‘Leo of Bethlehem.’ The adventures of Leo the spider were published in a second, revised edition in 2024. She has also authored a fairy tale explaining the concept of war to children; her book ‘Frank and the War’ was published in 2022. It is now available as an e-book in Polish and English. The first edition of ‘Reya and the Green Boy’ was published in November 2024. It refers to the contemporary migration phenomena. The publication of her new book entitled ‘Santa Claus and Mischievous Stevie’ is planned for 2026. It will be a story about a boy struggling at school.

Table of Contents

Leo of Bethlehem

About the author