Stellaluna
- self assurance values and teaching children to value who they are
Beautifully illustrated children’s book
List Price: $ 0.76
Price: $ 0.76
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Stellaluna Reviews
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A Sweet and Engaging Book,
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.
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|My favorite children’s book,
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
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|More than just a “bat” book…,
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…
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