Stellaluna [Hardcover]

Janell Cannon (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 4 and up | Grade Level: K and up

Knocked from her mother’s safe embrace by an attacking owl, Stellaluna lands headfirst in a bird’s nest. This adorable baby fruit bat’s world is literally turned upside down when she is adopted by the occupants of the nest and adapts to their peculiar bird habits. Two pages of notes at the end of the story provide factual information about bats. “Delightful and informative but never didactic; a splendid debut.”--Kirkus Reviews

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Baby bat Stellaluna's life is flitting along right on schedule--until an owl attacks her mother one night, knocking the bewildered batlet out of her mother's loving grasp. The tiny bat is lucky enough to land in a nest of baby birds, but her whole world has just turned upside down. Literally. Stellaluna's adoptive bird mom accepts her into her nest, but only on the condition that Stellaluna will act like a bird, not a bat. Soon Stellaluna has learned to behave like a good bird should--she quits hanging by her feet and starts eating bugs. But when she finally has an opportunity to show her bird siblings what life as a bat is like, all of them are confounded. "How can we be so different and feel so much alike?" one asks. "And how can we feel so different and be so much alike?" asks another. "I agree," Stellaluna responds. "But we're friends. And that's a fact." Anyone who has ever been asked to be someone they're not will understand the conflicts--and possibilities--Stellaluna faces. This gorgeously illustrated book is sure to be an all-time favorite with readers, whether they've left the nest or not. (Click to see a sample spread. Illustration from Stellaluna, © 1993 by Janell Cannon, reproduced by permission of Harcourt Brace & Company) (Ages 4 to 8) --Emilie Coulter

From Kirkus Reviews

Attacked by an owl, Stellaluna (a fruit bat) is separated from her mother and taken in by a bird and her nestlings. Dutifully, she tries to accommodate--she eats insects, hangs head up, and sleeps at night, as Mama Bird says she must--but once Stellaluna learns to fly, it's a huge relief when her own mother finds her and explains that the behavior that comes naturally is appropriate to her species. With a warm, nicely honed narration, Cannon strikes just the right balance between accurate portrayal of the bats and the fantasy that dramatizes their characteristics. Her illustrations, in luminous acrylics and color pencils, are exquisite. The appealingly furry, wide-eyed, fawn-colored bats have both scientific precision and real character; they're displayed against intense skies or the soft browns and greens of the woodland in spare, beautifully constructed (occasionally even humorous) compositions. Delightful and informative but never didactic: a splendid debut. (Picture book. 4-8) -- Copyright ©1993, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Hardcover: 46 pages
• Publisher: Harcourt Children's Books; 1st edition (April 30, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0152802177
• ISBN-13: 978-0152802172
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 10.2 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (135 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #9,682 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #26 in Books > Children's Books > Animals > Birds

More About the Author

Janell Cannon's picture books have won many awards and are beloved around the world. Before she became a full-time creator of books for children, she designed and produced summer reading programs at her local public library. Born and raised in Minnesota, Ms. Cannon now lives in Southern California.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

40 of 44 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Sweet and Engaging Book, September 1, 2000

By 

Pajamazon (Illinois) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Stellaluna (Hardcover)

My boys love this book! They loved it so much I bought the CD-ROM book as well. And the plush bat! They enjoy hanging Stellaluna upside down while reading the story.

The story itself is a little scary when the owl appears and Stellaluna is separated from her mother in the dark forest. But the mother bird and her babies are quick to accept and help Stellaluna. The story emphasizes that differences should be celebrated and accepted, and it's always best to just be yourself. It also shines a positive spotlight on an animal that gets a bad rap--the bat. I'd rate this book better than Cannon's other book, which is about snakes, "Verdi."

The artwork is beautiful; I love simply looking at the pages. And the "Bat Notes" section at the end is informative; I know because my pre-reading child wanted me to read it out loud several times!

Lovers of nature, superb artwork, and literature will not be disappointed reading this story to their little ones.

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My favorite children's book, August 10, 2008

By 

Judy K. Polhemus "Book Collector" (Louisiana) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Stellaluna (Hardcover)

If I HAD to answer the question: What is your favorite children's book?, I would have to pick "Stellaluna." There, this children's librarian committed, but I think my students would know that. It's one of their favorites, too!!

What makes this book so special? E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-I-N-G!! The story line, the embedded lessons, and the sweet, sweet illustrations. I don't know how well you can see the young bat's face on the cover. If you can, notice that darling tongue sticking out, like a puppy's. Notice her struggle, expressed with joy, to hold on to the limb. And we have not even opened the book yet!

This is the story of a young bat who is separated from her mother after an owl attacks them in flight. She falls into a tree, then into a bird's nest filled with three hungry babies who are already fully feathered. The mother bird adopts her but insists she eat bugs like her babies. Stellaluna is a fruit bat, but adopts the ways of birds, except for hanging by her feet to sleep. Her new siblings try it one day. Mother returns and expresses her dismay. The babies are hilariously portrayed with their bird feathers hanging down from their heads.

When they learn to fly, poor Stellaluna is so clumsy trying to land upright on a limb with feet equipped for hanging, not perching. At night her bat radar comes into play and she goes weird on them flying by radar. Eventually, her bat mother finds her and Stella's world is restored. She discovers she eats mangoes, not bugs. She is delighted!

And the second best part is that she remains friends with her bird friends.

Embedded lessons:
1. Bats are what they are; birds are what they are.
2. We can accept each other's differences and be enriched by the experience.
3. It's good to walk in another's shoes just a short time.
4. There are some artists with stories sweet and heartwarming without being saccharine.
5. The author furnishes "Bat Notes" on the last two pages for further educational value.

This book belongs in every child's personal library and on the shelf in every children's library. Highly recommended.

Other favorite books by Janell Cannon:
Pinduli
Verdi

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars More than just a "bat" book..., September 18, 2000

By 

Alan R. Holyoak - See all my reviews

This review is from: Stellaluna (Hardcover)

This book is about Stellaluna, a baby bat who finds itselflost, hungry, alone, and accidentally in a nest full of baby birds. The little bat is accepted by the birds, but somehow never feels at home, especially after a good scolding from the mother bird about hanging upside down -- hillarious.

The artwork is outstanding, the story is entertaining, and children and adults love this book. I have even picked it up and read it a time or two after the children went to bed.

This is an award winning book, and for good reason. There are strong underlying messages in it about place, acceptance, home and family.

Definitely 5+ stars...