Stellaluna is a 1993 children's book written and illustrated by Janell Cannon. It is about a young fruit bat, Stellaluna, who becomes separated from her mother and finds her way to a nest of birds. She is adopted by them and learns bird-like behavior. Eventually, Stellaluna finds other bats and reunites with her mother, and she learns how to behave like a bat. She introduces the birds to her bat family. Stellaluna and the birds decide that, despite their many differences, they are still friends. Cannon 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 created the illustrations first, inspired by photographs of Gambian epauletted fruit bats.
Adaptations (1)
Stellaluna was adapted into a 2003 film.
Stellaluna2003 · film · 41 min · dir. William R. Kowalchuk Jr. · IMDb ↗IMDb6.7Based on the beloved children's book, this fun-filled animated feature follows a spirited young fruit bat who finds friendship, love and acceptance in the most unexpected places! Brimming with music, laughter, warmth and excitement, Stellaluna is sure to capture your heart. When the adorable fruit bat Stellaluna is separated from her mother, she is adopted by a family of birds, but soon finds that she just can't fit in. Her playmates like to sleep at night; she wants to fly. They whistle and sing; she doesn't even have a beak! But just when it seems like she'll always be an outsider, Stellaluna makes an amazing discovery. Now she'll learn to cherish the things that make her different from everyone else. And she'll see that an open mind and an open heart can lead to the greatest gifts of all.
