The focus of this reading is to read the story and talk about new vocabulary. There will be opportunities in this reading to connect the information in the illustrations to the information in the text.
Ms. Cannon’s use of vocabulary in this story is so descriptive. With words such as sultry, crooned, and clambered your child and you will have fun using the words in extended activities. The themes of acceptance and friendship are well developed through the actions and thoughts of Pip, Flitter, Flap, and Stellaluna.
I encourage you to make predictions about what will happen next in the plot based on your prior knowledge of the illustrations.
*Read the pages before you ask the questions.
Pages 1 – 5:
~On page 1, sultry: hot and moist. Do you have sultry weather where you live?
~On page 1, crooned: sing or hum in a soothing voice. Let’s practice crooning.
~Since she is a fruit bat, predict what food she might be searching for.
~On page 2, as limp and useless as wet paper: no strength or power.
~On page 2, shrieked: to cry out sharply in a high voice. How does a shriek sound? Why might the mother bat be crying out?
Pages 6 – 13:
~Point out the italics. Authors use italics to highlight special words that need to be said with emphasis.
~On page 6, downy: fluffy and soft.
~On page 6, clambered: climbed with difficulty using both feet and hands. Since Stellaluna doesn’t have hands, how does she clamber?
~On page 8, why doesn’t Stellaluna want any crawly things? (She’s a fruit bat and eats fruit.)
~On page 10, curious: eager to learn or know about something. What can you remember being curious about?
~On page 12, how did the little birds clamber back into the nest? Do you think Stellaluna is teaching the birds bad things?
Pages 14 – 23:
~Why did Stellaluna’s wings work now? (She was older. Her wings had gotten stronger.)
~On page 16, gracefully: move smoothly and elegantly. Which special vocabulary word is the opposite of gracefully? (clambered)
~On page 18, embarrassing: confusing, shaming, and uncomfortably self-conscious. Is Stellaluna landing gracefully, or is she clambering onto the branch?
~On page 20, clumsy: awkward, without skill or grace. Predict if flying all day will make Stellaluna less clumsy.
~Is Stellaluna nervous about flying in the dark?
~On page 22, anxious: feeling uneasy about something, greatly nervous. Why are Pip, Flitter, and Flap anxious?
Pages 24 – 31:
~Where are Stellaluna’s thumbs?
~On page 26, peculiar: strange, unusual, odd. Why does Stellaluna think the other bat’s face is peculiar?
~On page 26, italics are important as you read the conversation between the two bats.
~On page 26, stuttered: distorted speech caused by repetitions.
~On page 28, why did the bat sniff Stellaluna’s fur? (to identify her)
~Was your previous prediction of which bat is Stellaluna correct?
~On page 31, was your previous prediction about what the bats are saying to each other correct?
Pages 32 – 35:
~How can Stellaluna see at night?
Pages 36 – END:
~Make a prediction about how the birds will fly at night. Use some of the new vocabulary words to describe their flight.
~Why are Pip, Flitter, and Flap yelling howling and shrieking?
~Why can’t they see at night?
~On page 40, mused: to think in silence.
~On page 40, fact: something that you can prove.
~How do you like the ending?