Stellaluna by Janell Cannon (1993, Reinforced Hardcover)

This story is about fitting in/being different and it delivers the message in a great way. I will warn you right away-buy this is hardcover because it will get worn out from being read over and over. In a perfect world I would buy a hardcover shelf copy for reading with a grown-up and a kid friendly soft cover copy that can get demolished from small hands at play.

Janell Cannon wrote AND illustrated this book and she has a flair for painting animal characters in awkward situations and she has mastered the knack of getting facial expressions to tell a multitude of emotions.


A hungry owl out hunting tries to catch a Mother Bat. In the scuffle the baby bat that the mother was carrying falls into a bird nest. LOST! The Mother Bird adds the baby as one of her own chick teaching the new family member all the rules of being a bird. Every kid will delight as this scruffy baby bat named Stellaluna tries to do bird things to fit in with her new family. Kids will wriggle with delight as Stellaluna learns to eat bugs instead of fruit and to not to hang upside down or fly during the night. In the end the Stellaluna is reunited with her mother and the world is made right again. The art is captivating and adds to the storyline. This story is sure to be a family favorite.

If you are buying for a gift it is worth every penny for a new hardcover. This is a perfect gift for grade school teachers to add to classroom collections or if you are a teacher this book is loved from age 3-8. This is a great pick for boys learning to read, perfect for school donations, and a great lap-sitting book for both boys and girls.

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I first borrowed this book from my daughters school library while she was in Kindergarten. However, my 3 year old son (a typically active 150% boy) also found this book absolutely engrossing and enthralling so I knew I had to buy it. The story is about a baby bat that falls into a bird nest and is brought up by the mother bird amongst her own chicks. He learns to eat bugs instead of fruit, perch and not hang upside down and fly during the day. In addition to the amusing story the illustrations are wonderful (beautifully crafted artwork and light years away from the naïve art so popular in children’s literature today). It is the sort of book which parents can enjoy reading which means (of course) that it is more enjoyable for the children. Janell Cannon (who wrote AND illustrated the book) specializes in books about non-cuddly animals. On a deeper level, the story is about fitting in/being different – it doesn’t lose a light touch though.

This is a wonderful book with great illustrations about a baby bat that is separated from his mother. Stellaluna ends up in the care of a mother bird and three baby birds. It's a beautiful story about appreciating differences and similarities as Stellaluna learns about her place in the world.

This book is amazing, beautiful and fun for young children. We bought the Stellaluna movie on DVD which got my 2 /12 your old hooked on it, then we figured reading to him at night would be soothing.

This is a wonderful story. My 30 year old daughter has wanted it for several years
and this is going to be an awesome gift for her. the fact that it's autographed by the author makes it 100 times better. :-)

I received the book and I was happy with the purchase. The book was well pack and received it in a timely matter.