animals

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...

Stellaluna is perhaps my favorite picture book ever written! This is the story of a baby fruit bat who is separated from her mother when a hawk attacks them. She falls into a nest of baby birds and ends up being raised as a bird. She tries to teach the baby birds to hang from their feet (an amusing picture). When this makes mamma bird VERY angry, Stellaluna tries to learn to perch like a bird. She cringes and gulps down insects and flies during the day. She becomes good friends with her bird siblings. Finally she is rediscovered by the fruit bats. She then learns that she is a bat, not a bird, and her strange habits are just fine for a bat.

The drawings are gorgeous and frequently hilarious. Lots of little things make the book memorable. For instance, I had read it several times before I noticed that small pencil drawings at the top of each page depict mother bat looking EVERYWHERE for Stellaluna even while she is being raised by the birds. There are lots of little things to notice and laugh at, and even though I don't have a child, I certainly think children would enjoy the book.

I was shocked at the ending-Stellaluna is reunited with her birth family. That never happens to adopted or orphaned children, nor do stepchildren ever see their original family reunited. I'm not sure who this book is for-I don't see anything in it that children who have never "lost" a parent can identify with. For children that have "lost" a parent, the book just reinforces magical thinking. There are too many other great books out there-skip this one.