Janell Cannon

Teaching kindergarten, I come across many children's picture books. One of my favorite authors is Janell Cannon. Whenever I read her stories to the class, they sit spellbound by the rich language, beautiful pictures and new creatures to learn about. Here are some examples:


Stellaluna is about a young fruit bat who loses her way from home one day. She tries to fit in with a family of birds, and is amazed to discover that even though we all look and act different, we all feel the same things inside.



Verdi is a little tree snake. He loves his bright yellow skin, and loves being able to do all the great things a young snake can do. He doesn't want to grow up and be boring like the bigger green snakes. A wonderful book about the fear of change and of growing older.


Only Janell Cannon could make you feel empathy for a cockroach! Crickwing gets bullied by the others because of his crooked wing, and he starts to take it out on the leaf-cutter ants. A good story to launch a discussion of acceptance and bullying.


Here is an interview about her latest book, Pinduli. I have not had a chance to read this one yet, but I'm sure it's as brilliant as the rest!