Ĭannon later took a trip to Thailand, where she felt that she belonged despite not knowing the Thai language. Later, when working at a library in California, Cannon noted that only three books in the children's section featured bats, of which two were eventually removed. She said, for bats to be 'misunderstood and mistreated by humans, out of fear, really affected me'.

She empathized with bats, as they are maligned by many cultures. She stated that she was a 'free-range kid, able to gain an appreciation for animals like frogs, salamanders, snakes, and bats'. The book has been translated into thirty languages and was adapted into a short film, a puppet show, and a musical.Īn example of an epauletted fruit bat, Wahlberg's epauletted fruit bat.Īuthor Janell Cannon grew up in rural Minnesota her parents shared their enjoyment of nature with her and her siblings. Stellaluna was a New York Times bestseller, appeared on the National Education Association's list of 'Teachers' Top 100 Books for Children', and won several awards, including the 1996 Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album for Children. Stellaluna's behaviors, though discouraged by mother bird, were not actually 'bad behaviors', but rather an expression of her identity as a bat. One philosopher interpreted the book as showing that children are not either good or bad: children with non-conforming behaviors may be expressing their abilities and needs. Themes in Stellaluna include friendship, overlooking differences to find common ground, and the universality of feeling like a bat in a bird's world. These illustrations in particular were praised for their scientific accuracy, as well as for making the bats appealing. The art for the book was made with wax-based pencils, as well as airbrushed acrylic paint. She created the illustrations first, inspired by photographs of Gambian epauletted fruit bats. Stellaluna and the birds decide that, despite their many differences, they are still friends.Ĭannon was interested in writing a story about bats because of the negative perceptions that many have of them, as well as because not many children's books featured them. She introduces the birds to her bat family. Eventually, Stellaluna finds other bats and reunites with her mother, and she learns how to behave like a bat. She is adopted by them and learns bird-like behavior. It is about a young fruit bat, Stellaluna, who becomes separated from her mother and finds her way to a nest of birds.

Stellaluna is a 1993 children's book by Janell Cannon.

Stellaluna by Janell Cannon