Guide Note:Stellaluna is a children's book about a baby fruit bat written by the author Janell Cannon. The story starts off with baby Stellaluna being lovingly taken care of by her mother. Unfortunately she is suddenly separated from her mother when an owl attacks them and Stellaluna is knocked out of her mother's loving grasp and lands in a nest of baby birds. Mother bird accepts Stellaluna and adopts her as her own on the condition that she behaves like a good bird and not a bat. Stellaluna learns to accept that although she is different from a bird and that she is actually a fruit bat, they can all still be friends.
In 2004 an animation film was released based on Stellaluna. The overall story is the same, but some changes were made to make up the movie. New characters were added to the story and the ending various from the book. These scenes change the original feel of the book but its important message reaches the audience just the same - The importance to look beyond the external appearance and to learn to accept others, even though they seem to be different from us.
Janell Cannon received the OBC Bat Conservation Award in 2005 for her children's books, including Stellaluna.
Fast Facts:
- Author: Janell Cannon
- Publication Date: 1993
- Publisher: Harcourt Children's Books
- Adapted into animated film in 2001
- Janell Cannon worked on summer reading programs for children
- Illustrated by the author herself.
- 1994: Won the ABBY Award
- 1995: Won the Keystone to Reading Book Award
- 1996: Won the California Young Reader Medal
