Stellaluna

by Janell Cannon

Publisher HMH Books for Young Readers

SAT words:

crooned

anxious

clambered

peculiar

Opportunities for recasting:

diurnal

nocturnal

insectivore

frugivore

Stellaluna, by Jane Cannon, offers four words rarely used in casual conversation, many synonyms for 'said', and a heartwarming lesson on appreciating differences in friends.  Readers get to play with baby bird and bat voices, and stressful and playful situations can be emphasized through rate changes and pregnant pauses.  The rhythm and length of this story, followed by the moral at the end, make it a delightful tool for filling childrens' ears with new words. 

Cannon could have inserted many strong vocabulary words in the text, but chose to include a scientific description of bats and their habits and diets in two concise but informative pages at the end.  This gives the adult the opportunity to enjoy the book as a simple story, or use it as a powerful teaching tool, depending on the day.  The scientific description adds these words to the mix: niche, preference, elongated, amphibian, species, domestic, native, implies, boasting, echolocation, keen, navigate, subtropical, forage, pollination, distribute, regeneration.

As a reader, I frequently choose to insert the 'recasting' words listed above at the appropriate time in the story.  I like to take every opportunity I can to expose kids to new words in fun contexts, so when the story says, "She stayed awake all day and slept at night."  I add, "She learned to be diurnal, like birds, instead of  nocturnal, like bats."  And I insert: "She (learned to be an insectivore and) ate bugs without making faces."

Adding your own words, voices, and dramatic variation to the text as you read aloud is a privilege and a strength of reading aloud!