Stellaluna: A Pop-up Book and Mobile
Janell Cannon
Harcourt Children's Books

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Janell Cannon - „Stellaluna: A Pop-up Book and Mobile“ is a favorite of Osage County First Grade and of Mrs M. I have long been captivated with pop up books, and have yet to find a child who is not as spellbound as am I.

I have, and use, many Pop-Up Books in my classroom. The Little People are always thrilled to have the occasion to use one of them. And I find the kids treat these special books with the highest care.

After all these years I have spent in the classroom; I go on using many of the first books I bought so many years ago. Over the years I add to the collection.

The account of Stellaluna is at once touching, emotive and moving.

There once lived a mother fruit bat and her soft, tiny baby. Mama Bat loved that little girl baby, and carried Stellaluna with her each evening as she went out to find food. One night while Mama flew an owl struck. Down dropped little Stellaluna. Her small wings were limp; she did not yet know how to fly.

All through that night a petite, alarmed bat clung to a branch and called to her mother in tiny squeaks. Daybreak came, and the weary little bat could not continue clinging to the twig, down she again fell.

Landing headfirst in a nest lodging three wee birds; Stellaluna landed with a Flump. It didn’t take her long to climb right back out of that next and begin clinging, upside down, to the nest. At last, hunger, apprehension, and fatigue drove the little bat into the nest where she began a new life with adopted siblings Flap, Flitter and Pip.

She learned to eat yucky insects even though she did make a face and she remained awake during the day and learned to sleep at night. She continued liking to sleep hanging upside down by her feet. However, the day when Mama Bird found all four little ones hanging upside down she lay down the law, -in the nest and no more hanging by feet.-

When the time came and Mama told the four it was time to learn to fly; Stellaluna found she was able to fly just like the little birds.

Now, landing presented a whole ‘nother set of problems for Stellaluna. And even though she tried so hard, Stellaluna just could not master the elegant landings her adopted siblings were able to implement.

One day, the four little flyers went a far distance from home. As nightfall approached the three little birds grew concerned, Stellaluna was no where to be seen. At last the worried little trio gave up and started for home.

Stellaluna flew and flew until she was too worn-out to fly anymore. She dropped to a tree. Sighing, she hung by her thumbs –after all, she had promised Mama Bird she would not hang by her feet, and she soon fell asleep.

Soft wings approached close to where Stellaluna hung sleeping.

–Hey- a voice sounded nearby. Stellaluna woke to find herself face to face with a strange countenance and a voice asking why she was hanging upside down. Stellaluna explained she had promised Mama Bird no more hanging by her feet, so she was hanging by her thumbs.

–Wrong for a bird, maybe, but not for a bat.-

More bats arrived and crowded together around the perplexed little Stellaluna. As she told her story about the owl attack, and falling from the sky; a bat pushed near. That bat sniffed Stellaluna’s fur.

Oh what happiness when Stellaluna’s mother realized her baby had not perished in the fall. What a reunion when Stellaluna realized her very own Mom had not perished when the Owl attacked.

The narrative continues as Stellaluna is united with her bat colony. She returns to the nest to ask her adopted family to come and visit, and, they all agree that being dissimilar is not a bad thing, especially when they are friends. And, Stellaluna, Flap, Pip and Flitter decided they definitely were friends, and that’s a fact.

The innovative account has been simplified a tad to fit the pop up conversion. On the other hand all of the charisma and appeal found in the various other editions is present in the pop up edition as well. The three dimensional mobile provides a supplementary motivation for reading as it hangs from the ceiling in a corner of the classroom.

Stellaluna is a charismatic account of comradeship, optimism, and accomplishment offered in a diversity of editions including: board book, hard back, pop up, oversize/big book edition, paperback, Spanish, along with a plush bat.

On the pages following the story itself in the hardcover edition of the book are included bat notes appropriate for use in a classroom science lesson setting.

The pop up version is a special edition Little People enjoy working toward having the opportunity to actually hold, and carefully turn the pages.

We use either the hardcover edition or the paperback for pleasure reading and DEAR reading use. The Big Book edition is great for whole class activities.

All editions of Stellaluna are child pleasing works, happy to recommend.