Warming up to fuzzheads

Janell Cannon loves animals so much she has invented her own species.

The children’s book author and illustrator whose bestseller, “Stellaluna,” helped kids understand more about bats, will read from her new book, “Little Yau,” Saturday at 1 p.m. at the Every Picture Tells A Story gallery in Santa Monica. Her latest story continues a series based on the fuzzheads, a feline-like animal that sprung from her imagination in the ‘80s.

“They were in my mind’s eye and wouldn’t go away,” said Cannon. “So I was compelled to develop them. I did large color pencil pictures and suddenly began to realize the history, the personalities and where they lived. Soon there was this sentient race of feline creatures. They were sophisticated and literate and they had the ability to use herbal medicine. And all kinds of things began to unfold. So, before a book was published I had a whole world in my head.”

The texts lend themselves to the spoken word, said David Holt, who made a Grammy-winning recording of “Stellaluna.”

“Her writing is simple but not childish,” Holt said. “That’s the beauty of it. And it’s got a lot of life to it. It’s concise and precise but never talks down to children. It’s got just the right tone.”

The world of the fuzzheads began with Cannon’s book, “Trupp.” That title character reappears in the new book, but this time he’s been poisoned; Yau and friends come to his rescue.

The stories are aimed at addressing emotional/spiritual themes, with one of Cannon’s central tenets: the idea that we’re not alone on the planet. “Every species is connected in an ecological web,” she said, describing the subtext woven into her tales, “and if we close out other species it will eventually threaten us.”

Her message comes wrapped in a colorful package. A largely self-taught artist, Cannon creates illustrations that are richly detailed.

“I have vivid memories of what captured my imagination when I was a child; flat abstract illustrations didn’t grab me. The ones that did were full of depth.”

A former librarian, Cannon has organized award-winning reading programs and loves interacting with children even though she admits she’s fundamentally shy.

“I just go in with what I have to offer, nothing more, nothing less. If you go in with affectation the kids will know it. I genuinely appreciate kids and their unique perspective and I believe in what I’m doing and I come in and if what I say is of interest to them, they’ll listen.”

Storytelling can strike a chord with kids of all ages, Cannon said. “Even with computers and TV they haven’t lost that interest in sitting and listening to stories. Even middle school kids, when they’re not around their peers, like listening to bedtime stories.”

*

‘Little Yau’ reading

Where: Every Picture Tells a Story gallery, 1318 Montana Ave., Santa Monica

When: Saturday, 1 p.m.

Contact: (310) 451-2700