Author: Janell Cannon
Plot Summary: This is the story of a young fruit bat who becomes separated from her mother and lands in a nest of baby birds, becoming an adoptive member of the bird family. The baby bat learns to act like a baby bird and struggles to accommodate to the family, but she never completely fits in. Eventually she is able to regain her identity as a bat, and she and her bird friends wonder together about friendship and being alike and different at the same time.
Posted In: Ethics, Metaphysics

Discussion Questions

WHAT MAKES A . . .

• Duck a duck?
• Cat a cat?
• Man a man?
• Woman a woman?
• Parent a parent?
• Car a car?
• Bird a bird?
• Smile a smile?
• Feeling a feeling?
• Thought a thought?

WHAT DOES A THING NEED TO. . .

• What does a kite need to fly?
• What does a tree need to grow?
• What does a car need to drive?
• What does a bat need to fly?
• What does a person need to live?
• What does a person need to be happy?
• What does a person need to dream at night?

COULD A . . . AND HOW DO YOU KNOW?

• A duck catch mice?
• A bat write a letter?
• A television eat grass?
• A person fly?
• A dog purr?
• A teddy bear talk?
• A person turn into a lion?
• A painter plant a garden?
• A child drive a car?
• A doctor play the piano?
• A book talk to you?

FRIENDSHIP

• What is friendship?
• Can you be friends with any of the following?
  • The moon.
  • A car.
  • A stone.
  • A pair of shoes.
  • A book.
  • A movie.
  • A cat.
  • A plant.
  • A bird.
  • A house.
  • A piece of land.
  • An idea.
  • A dream.
  • A song.
  • A painting.
  • A tree.
  • A parent.
• What is a friend?
• If someone is a friend, is the following true?
  • I play with him or her a lot.
  • I talk to him or her a lot.
  • We share thoughts with each other.
  • We share feelings with each other.
  • I share my toys with him or her.
  • I like him or her.
  • I want to be near him or her.
  • We help each other.
  • They think that I am their friend.