Going Batty

Going Batty

Picture books
A couple of weeks ago, shelving in the children's wing, I found
two charming volumes featuring my favorite flying mammals. Needless
to say, they ended up in my backpack. Brian Lies' Bats of the Library
and Bats at the Beach combine lively rhyming narrative with whimsical
illustrations to provide a true flight of the imagination.
Bats at the Beach gives a cherished family tradition a decidedly
new spin. Of course the critters of the night converge on the shore
after the sun goes down, armed with moon-tan lotion. Their snacks are
a little different than what we'd pack. And wait til you see how they
surf!
Bats at the Library shows what can happen when someone leaves
the window open at quitting time. Winged creatures, some
bespectacled, come swooping in to peruse their favorite books. The
littlest ones, not yet introduced to literacy, play with strange
machines...until they succumb to a very strong allure.
On a personal note, despite what you learn from YA novels and other
popular sources, most bats dine on fruit or insects. They are not
sometimes sparkly neck nippers that morph into coffin dwelling blood
drinkers. They have more reason to be afraid of us than we of them.
I think any book with the potential to reduce the terror many parents
and children feel about this misunderstood mammal is a good one.
A great big shout out goes out to the scientists and others who are
working diligently to discover why so many bats are dying and come up
with a solution to this problem.
Julia Emily Hathaway





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