How Stellaluna Inspires Children to Be Kind

Stellaluna
by Janell Cannon


Reader Response Pages to Use with this Book

Poor Stellaluna! 


Stellaluna is a bat and she is separated from her mom during an owl attack.  Luckily, she does end up in a bird's nest where the family of birds take her in as their own.  She now has a mother bird who cares for her and the baby birds become her friends.  As she grows, she begins to do bird-like things.  Later, she meets up with other bats and becomes reunited with her mother.  The bats teach her bat-like things and she finds out that life is better sleeping upside-down!  And she tries to teach her bird friends to do bat things. But they aren't very good at being a bat and it is troublesome.  They wonder how they can be so alike yet so different
From the very beginning, children are engaged in this wonderful story.  Suspenseful pages
of the owl attack! and how will she make it without her mother.  The outstanding illustrations enhance the story and help readers visualize Stellaluna's journey.  This would be a great book to create a storyboard and a retelling activity.  

Reader Response Pages that invite your students to write about their reading are yours here.  


I created this Stellaluna clip art to help young readers create a retelling of the story.  You can place them in a literacy center.  Use them to make a storyboard.  Engage in book conversations at your literature circle.  You can find Stellaluna clip art HERE.  Check back soon to see another wonderful book showcased at MrsQuimbyReads.blogspot.com 

Reading Stellaluna aloud will be so enjoyable.  Share the illustrations and be sure to have a book talk.  Some questions you might use as a springboard are: 


1. In what ways did Stellaluna's mother act responsibly to care for her baby?
2. How is Stellaluna forced to be open-minded?
3. In what ways could Mama Bird be more open-minded?
4. What does perseverance mean? Tell how Stellaluna showed perseverance.
5. Why did Stellaluna have to promise to abide by the rules?
6. Give an example of loyalty in this story.
7. How do you think it felt when Stellaluna realized that she was hanging upside down? Does it ever seem like her whole world has turned upside down?
8. Do you think it's important to respect the ways of others even if they're different from yours? Why?
9. Despite many differences, Stellaluna came to really care about her bird family. What can we learn from her about acceptance and respect?
10. What do you think it means to "agree to disagree?"
11. Do you have friends that are different from you in some way? Have your differences ever caused problems? How did you resolve such problems?
12. Are there some people that you don't know well but that you assume you could never be friends with? Why?
13. Have there been times when you've done something just because everyone else was doing it? Does going with the crowd and blending in make life easier?
14. Have there been times when you felt you had to go against the crowd and do things your own way? What happened?