and family. Illustrations Cannon created the illustrations in Stellaluna herself, painting the illustrations before she wrote the story. The art was created with Prismacolor wax-based pencils, as well as airbrushed Liquitex-brand acrylic paint. The illustrations were created on Bristol board. In the 1996 publication Children's Literature, the authors state that Cannon "put so much character in Stellaluna's face and body that the bat comes alive for the reader". Each full-page illustration is accompanied by a page of text. At the top of each page of text is a small, black-and-white ink illustration of Stellaluna's mother searching for her. Once Stellaluna and her mother are reunited, however, the ink illustrations portray Stellaluna for the rest of the book. Kirkus Reviews emphasized the appeal of Cannon's illustrations, calling them "exquisite". They said that "the appealingly furry, wide-eyed, fawn-colored bats have both scientific precision and real character; they're displayed against intense skies or the soft browns and greens of the woodland in spare, beautifully constructed (occasionally even humorous) compositions". The illustrations were also praised for their accurate portrayal of bats, with one educator stating it is "one of the most beautiful science-based picture books I have come across". For the 25th anniversary of Stellalunas publishing date, its artwork was displayed for seven weeks at a gallery in Carlsbad, California. Themes In writing Stellaluna, Cannon stated that she wanted to demonstrate that feeling like "a bat in a bird's world" was universal. She also states that the story exemplifies that friendship and family can be found in unexpected ways. She states that a third theme is that of overlooking differences to find common ground. Themes stated by others include "journey", belonging, friendship, diversity, and the struggle to conform. More indirect themes have been identified as well. Philosophy professor Shelley M. Park states that Stellaluna "[deconstructs] the notion of the 'bad child'". The mother bird treated Stellaluna as a bad child, identifying her as a corrupting influence on her biological offspring and discouraging her from enacting instinctive behaviors, such as sleeping during the day and roosting upside down. Park says that nonconforming behaviors in children "may be neither good nor bad but simply an expression of their needs and abilities", as they are with Stellaluna. While Park positively receives this message, she is critical of the converse message that is presented of mothers as either good or bad. The bird mother is not portrayed sympathetically,