Informational Resources:

Author Information:

McCall Hoyle’s website:

https://mccallhoyle.com/index.html

McCall Hoyle talks about her empathy-building book Stella (14:57):

https://www.yout-ube.com/watch?v=kO0uu2fOo9s&ab_channel=ShadowMountainPub

Activities & Resources:

Activities:

Stella

Discussion questions on pages 169-170.

Dog Crafts

Make a pipe cleaner dog:

https://www.craftfoxes.com/how_tos/make-pipe-cleaner-pets#_a5y_p=2080461

How to make a paper dog (4:59):

https://m.yout-ube.com/watch?v=vyL9iQbcAD8&feature=youtu.be

Hero Dogs

Search and Rescue Dogs (5:57):

https://www.yout-ube.com/watch?v=w7k6iYcqqA0&ab_channel=PurinaMillsTV

Federal bomb-sniffing dogs trained to find homemade explosives:

https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/news/explosive-detection-dogs-detect-homemade-bombs/

Doggy defenders: Stella the Search Dog:

https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/books/article/doggy-defenders-stella

Dogs to the rescue: science primary resource:

https://www.natgeokids.com/uk/primary-resource/dogs-rescue-science-primary-resource/

Dogs that detect epileptic seizures- part 1 (2:52):

https://www.yout-ube.com/watch?v=h-krqX7X-7E

How dogs detect seizures (4:28):

https://www.businessinsider.com/dogs-smell-detect-epileptic-seizures-before-they-happen-2019-4

Dog Training

Dog training for kids: 7 skills your kids can teach your dog:

https://www.k9ofmine.com/dog-training-for-kids/

Dog Facts

Police dog facts for kids:

https://kids.kiddle.co/Police_dog

Guide dog facts for kids:

https://easyscienceforkids.com/all-about-guide-and-service-dogs/

Animal shelter

Virtual field trip to an animal shelter (8:53):

https://www.yout-ube.com/watch?v=MTRsov46jmk&ab_channel=FrontStreetAnimalShelter-CityofSacramento

Cute facts about animals in shelters:

https://www.petakids.com/photos/cute-facts-animals-shelters/

MakerSpace Activities:

Make an origami dog (4:25):

https://www.yout-ube.com/watch?v=pgpy5fm3HtA&ab_channel=WaipaDistrictLibraries

Make a video using iMovie, or a tablet or phone of your pet or a pet you would like to have.

Create a dog or a piece of artwork of a dog out of recycled/upcycled items.

Build a crate or any other pet home out of Legos, popsicle sticks or other building materials.

Design or create a new pet toy using Google Draw, a drawing app, or paper and pencil.

Discussion Questions:

What types of jobs can dogs do at an airport? What was Stella’s job?

Why is Stella struggling at the foster home of her new person?

What are the signs that Stella is exhibiting that indicate something is wrong with her? Why do you think she is exhibiting these behaviors?

Why does Doc Collins give Stella one more chance? Who is Esperanza and how are they hoping she can help Stella?

What is the first step that Esperanza takes with Stella in what she hopes is her road to recovery? How does Stella respond?

Who is Cloe? What does Cloe do that reminds her of Connie, Stella’s human?

Stella sees Esperanza “oohing and aahing over Nando,” (page 48) a herding dog. What does Stella decide to do to impress Esperanza? What is the outcome?

Stella is having problems with changes in her life. What are some changes that Stella has gone through that are making it hard for Stella to settle and hopefully recuperate?

How does Cloe convince her mom that she can work with and train Stella? Do you think she will be successful? Why or why not?

While in the store, Stella notices a change in smell coming from Cloe and tries to warn Esperanza to no avail. What is going on with Cloe?

When does Stella realize that Cloe is supposed to be her new human? How is she behaving? What is she feeling?

While out on a walk to the creek with Cloe, Stella smells something that causes her to sit, whine, circle and whimper. What does she smell that is of concern? Why is it concerning?

What danger eventually breaks Cloe’s reading by the creek? How does Stella react?

Stella likes the games of watch me, touch, and leave it that Cloe plays with her. What new games is Cloe teaching Stella? What is the purpose of these games? How does Stella feel when Cloe reacts to her successfully playing the games?

On their second venture to the creek, again Stella tries to warn Cloe that something bad is ahead. What was it that made Stella try to alert Cloe of danger?

Describe the images that are going through Stella’s head as Beau and the tall boy hurl “small, colorful, paper-wrapped packages” (page 120) at them.

Stella knows that “Good dogs are loyal. They stand with their handlers in spite of danger, even in spite of death.” (page 120) What makes her bolt through the forest to safety without Cloe?

Stella hears Connie’s voice telling her “You must do the thing you cannot do.” (page 122). What does she mean? What is it that Stella must do?

“You’re a hero, Stella Bella.” (page 163) What did Stella do to be called a hero? Explain.

How does telling the story from Stella’s perspective help the reader? Could this have been written from another point-of-view? Whose? How would that have changed the story?

Book Talk Teasers:

Read the Reader’s Theater for Stella.

Watch the book trailer for Stella embedded at the bottom of the page.

Read Alikes:

Stories told by animals:

Cameroon, W. Bruce. Ellie’s story: a dog’s purpose puppy tale. Trained as a search-and-rescue go since puppyhood, Ellie can track and find people who are physically lost, but it is her owners, widower Jakob and lonely Maya, who challenge her to find a way to save people who are lost in other ways. (NoveList Plus)

Klassen, Jon. Pax, journey home. It has been a year since newly orphaned Peter and his pet fox Pax, now a protective father, have seen each other, but their paths cross again when Pax’s kit falls desperately ill forcing him to turn to the one human he can trust. (NoveList Plus)

Standish, Ali. Bad Bella. The critically acclaimed author of The Ethan I Was Before presents a narrative story based on her real-life dog that follows the journey of a lovable but mischievous abandoned pup who finds a new family just in time for Christmas. (NoveList Plus)

Verstraete, Larry. Coop the Great. Coopy, an aging dachshund, faces the ultimate test when his new owner, Mike, and Mike’s grandchildren run into trouble. Mike rescued him, but does Coop have what it takes to do the same? (NoveList Plus)

Rescue Dogs

Shotz, Jennifer Li. Hero. Hero, a retired search-and-rescue dog, is not prepared to welcome a puppy into his home, but when the new puppy Scout goes missing, Hero uses his skills to find him before it’s too late. (NoveList Plus)

Human-Dog Relationships

Colfer, Eoin. The Dog Who Lost His Bark. Patrick has been desperate for a dog of his own for as long as he can remember-and this summer, with his father away, he longs for a buddy more than ever. In his short doggy life, Oz has suffered at the hands of BAD PEOPLE. Somewhere out there, he believes, is an AWESOME BOY. Maybe when they find each other he will learn to BARK again. (NoveList Plus)

Reviews:

Hoyle, McCall. Stella. Shadow Mountain Publishing, 2021.

School Library Journal (January 1, 2021)

Gr 3-7-Stella is a good dog, but she misses her old handler Connie and is having a hard time understanding where Connie went and why loud noises such as thunder and fireworks cause her to panic. Now, living with post-traumatic stress disorder, Stella sometimes does bad things that she can't control, like escaping from crates and digging. Because of this, she's convinced she's a bad dog who cannot change. Before Stella made her way to live with Esperanza, an expert dog trainer, and her daughter Cloe, she used to be a bomb-sniffing dog at the airport. She blames herself for Connie's death because Stella was distracted and missed the scent of an explosive device. Stella and Cloe are immediately drawn to each other, and through their relationship, Stella finds that she can still use her nose and be helpful. This tender novel from a dog's perspective will help readers understand the importance of animals in their lives. This empathetic read is also full of important themes and lessons for young readers-bravery, how to overcome fears, and that mistakes don't have to define us. VERDICT A heartfelt dog story that readers young and old will enjoy.-Alicia Kalan, The Northwest Sch., Seattle © Copyright 2021. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Reprinted with permission from School Library Journal ©2021