Elementary Library

●​ What do you notice is different when you look at the babies and their parents?

Stellaluna by Janell Cannon (E CAN) After she falls headfirst into a bird's nest, a baby bat is raised like a bird until she is reunited with her mother. Discussion prompts: ●​ Why do you think that she has to take Stellaluna with her? ●​ Why do you think the owl attacked the mother bat? What happened to Stellaluna as the mother and the owl were fighting? ●​ How did Stellaluna get some food to eat? ●​ How is Stellaluna different from her mother? How are they the same? ●​ How are the baby birds different from their mother? How is Stellaluna different from the baby birds and their mother? ●​ Why did Stellaluna have trouble trying to fly like the baby birds? ●​ Why did the bat ask Stellaluna about the way she was hanging from the tree branch? ●​ How were the birds and Stellaluna alike? How were the birds and Stellaluna different? Do you think people that are different in some ways and alike in some ways can still find a way to be friends? What are some ways you are different than your friends? What are some ways that you are like your friends? Winter Bees & Other Poems of the Cold by Joyce Sidman (811 SID) A collection of poems that explores how animals survive the cold during the winter season. Provides additional facts about the animals and the season. Discussion prompts: ●​ Which of the winter animals has the best plan for survival? ●​ What fact in Winter Bees surprised you the most about how an animal survives during the winter? ●​ What happens during winter in your area? Are there seasonal changes? What changes in animal behavior occur? ●​ A tundra is a cold habitat. What traits do you think animals in a tundra might have after reading this book? ●​ The illustrations in this book are block prints. Invite students to explore the art through The Whole Book Approach. Work with your art instructional technician to create opportunities for students to experiment with printmaking mediums.

Polar Bear by Candace Fleming (599.786 FLE) A book exploring the life and habitat of a mother polar bear and her cubs

Discussion prompts: ●​ Where is Polar Bear set? The opening page states that it is the month of April. Take clues from the text and the illustration and describe April in the Arctic. ●​ What happens in the polar bear’s den in the winter? In what ways does the mother prepare her cubs for life outside the den? ●​ How does the mother polar bear sense danger?

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