Cannon, Janell.  Stellaluna.  Ill. Janell Cannon.  Olando: Hardcourt Brace & Company, 1993.

Category: animal fantasy

Approimate age group: early elementary

Analysis: This is an endearing story about Stellaluna, a silver fruit bat baby who gets separated from her mother during an owl attack, and falls head first into a nest of baby birds.

She did everything she could to fit into this peculiar situation. "She ate bugs without making faces. She slept in the nest at night. And she didn't hang by her feet. Stellaluna behaved as a good bird should."

Stellaluna is finally discovered by a bat that finds her sleeping wrong end up. She meets other fruit bats and is soon after reunited with her mother, who teaches a most eager Stellaluna proper bat ways. In the end, she discovers that birds are just as clumsy at being bats as bats are at being birds.

Cannon's luminous full-page illustrations, bordered in white, are vivid and descriptive. The saturated backgrounds and sharply focused foreground give these illustrations an almost three-dimensional look.

• The images are large and clear, making this a great book for reading out loud.
• In fact the illustrations are so well done, and follow the story so well, that this would make a great book for pretend reading.

The facing pages of text are bordered in gray, and include an added surprise. Small pen and ink drawings tell of another story in the sidelines: Stellaluna's mother is alive and searching to find her baby.

The print in this book is large and well spaced. The words are simple and easy to understand. Two pages of "BAT NOTES" follow the story, giving interesting, easy to understand information about bats. Cannon definitely knows her bats.

She has done an excellent job in presenting a story that not only has a taut plot line and incredible illustrations but one that gives a lasting knowledge of bats and birds through memorable, lovable, easy to relate to characters. Her story also teaches wonderful lessons about family, family units, fitting in, diversity, and friendships.

 Activity: 

• Have the children talk about their favorite parts of the story and the differences between birds and bats. 
• Have them interpret the pen-and-ink picture story of Stellaluna's mother searching for her baby. 
• Read other books, like Shadows of the Night: The Hidden World of the Little Brown Bat and Bat Book and See Through Model. 
• Watch "Tree Animals video". 
• Visit a living museum!