Beautiful Bats

Children's Literature - Wendy Pollock-Gilson

A simple, informative narrative told in the third person relates how brown bats live throughout the day and night. Factual information answering some of the most frequently asked questions about bats follows the brief story. Bats are presented favorably, but there is nothing special to cause this book to stand out in comparison to other nature books.

School Library Journal

PreS-K--A picture book that discusses the habits and characteristics of bats with a particular emphasis on the Little Brown Bat. Each spread features a simple text accompanied by a double-page drawing framed with white space. While the layout is eye-catching, the full-color illustrations have a slightly awkward look and many of them are partially lost in the gutter. Only the most basic facts are covered in the main text, but six pages of additional information about bat habits and conservation appear at the end of the book. Ann Earle's Zipping, Zapping, Zooming Bats (HarperCollins, 1995) includes much of the same information in a slightly more scientific tone. For example, while both titles discuss echolocation, only Earle actually uses the term. Because the information in Glaser's book is so basic, its primary audience will be very young children with an interest in bats.--Arwen Marshall, New York Public Library