Review by Booklist Review
Ages 5^-8. Taking issue with the unkind and untrue things said about bats through the years, Gibbons presents children with a more favorable introduction to the species. The text clearly describes the many types of bats as well as their physical characteristics, habits, and life cycle. Deep-toned illustrations dominate the pages, showing bats in action against midnight-blue or moonlit skies. The occasional splashes of color light up brilliantly against the dark backgrounds. Well suited for classroom use, this book makes a good case for bats as an admirable part of the natural world. --Carolyn Phelan
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 3-A clever format and succinctly written text distinguish this offering by a prolific author. Gibbons describes bats' general physical characteristics, special traits of some half-dozen species, flying methods, use of echolocation, diet, natural habitats, hibernation, and the birth and development of young. She also discusses the decimation of bats around the world due to loss of habitats and pollution and the efforts to protect the world's only truly flying mammals. A final page offers additional miscellaneous facts. The text is clearly written and well organized. Scientific terms such as "nocturnal," "membrane," and "roosts" are clearly defined in context. Double borders enclose vivid paintings of bats in their natural habitats. While Ann Earle's Zipping, Zapping, Zooming Bats (HarperCollins, 1995) and Betsy Maestro's Bats: Night Fliers (Scholastic, 1994) cover similar ground, Gibbons's title makes an appealing addition to natural history sections.-Karey Wehner, San Francisco Public Library (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
(Primary) When children first discover a topic, they typically want to gain some familiarity with the subject by getting a grip on facts and basic jargon; Gibbons provides such service for flying-mammal enthusiasts here. Illustrations mirror a text in which she lists several different kinds of bats, details the birth and care of young pups, and raises the issues of shrinking bat habitats and the need for protecting these vulnerable animals. Clear diagramming of bat anatomy and the process of echolocation introduces this all-important model of scientific notation. In addition, Gibbons defines and illustrates potentially unfamiliar terms such as migrate and pollination in sidebars conveniently placed on the pages where these words first appear. The book occasionally strays from its young audience: sentences such as ""some bats can fly as fast as fifteen miles (twenty-four kilometers) an hour and as high as ten thous and feet (3,050 meters)"" lack relational metaphors to help readers understand the measurements. But Gibbons's clarity returns as she explains the number of myths surrounding these nocturnal creatures in this overall accessible introduction to a variety of species. A final page provides a variety of bat facts, ranging from U.S. habitats to safety tips. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
