Bats

School Library Journal

PreS-Gr 2-Simple texts of one or two sentences per page describe a few of the subject animal's outstanding physical and behavioral characteristics, natural habitat, diet, and method of obtaining food. A clear, color photograph is centered above the large-print text on almost every page; both are set against a white background. In Barn Owls, two photos demonstrate the predator's ability to swivel its head from front to back. A "Barn Owl Map" and "Bat Map" repeat a previously shown photo of the animal, with two or three body parts labeled. A "Note to Parents and Teachers" suggests ways adults can use the information presented to teach children about the natural world. While both titles are clearly written, their bare-bones texts offer few details on any of the topics covered. In Bats, the flying mammal's use of echolocation to find food is simply described, but the term itself is not mentioned. Also, different kinds of bats are depicted, but there are no captions identifying them. Gail Gibbons's Bats (Holiday, 1999), for a slightly older audience, describes the characteristics of a variety of species and defines terms as they appear.-Karey Wehner, formerly at San Francisco Public Library Copyright 2003 Cahners Business Information.