Bats at the Library

 Review

Common Sense Media says

Late-night library adventure lauds classic books.
greenON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
yellowPAUSE: Know your child; some content
may not be right for some kids.
redOFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
not for kidsNOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age.

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Quality
 
Sometimes media can be age appropriate but a real waste of time. Our star rating assesses the media's overall quality.

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Parents say

Not yet rated

Kids say

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that this batty adventure is full of silliness as well as being a terrific reference to classic children's literature. In the illustrations, kids will enjoy finding characters from books they may have already read.

  • Shows bats reading great children's literature and acting out their favorites.
  • Encourages exploring the library and enjoying a good children's book.

What's the story?

When bats find a window that has been left open at the library, they sneak in to enjoy an evening that begins with some very silly exploration and frolicking. Finally, they settle down for storytime and sink into the adventures they find in classic children's books.


Is it any good?

 

Bats tugging on lamp chains to light up the room, others hanging all around the lamp shade, still others dancing under the projector lamp, making shadow pictures on the wall ... this is just a bit of the fun. Later on, as the bats sink into their reading, they are "completely swallowed up" by the stories. Pages dance with places and characters from classic books parents and kids will recognize: the yellow brick road, Pippi Longstocking, Alice, Peter Rabbit, and so on.

The dark acrylic illustrations create the mood; This is a library at night, with all its mystery and charm. And the reader will feel the excitement, and the mischief, as the young bats explore every nook and cranny while the older ones waste no time in finding books to read. The rhyming verse keeps the story moving and makes it all the more fun.

Wonderful personalities of various bats and their antics really come through in the illustrations.


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What families can talk about

Families can talk about bats, why they fly at night, have big ears, and wings whose bones almost look like human hands. Then they might want to find a book that tells more about real bats. Parents and kids will also enjoy talking about the library. How is it like your library? What would you do if you could sneak into the library at night? Do you recognize any of the books that the bats are reading? Are any of these your favorites?


This review was written by Patricia Tauzer
Kid, 12 years old
November 13, 2008
 
Encourages love of reading!
I highly recommend this book! My 3 and half year old was fascinating by the bats and their library antics. There is a great message about the joys of reading. Its fun and well written, with lots of interesting word choices to explain to your child.

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Teen, 14 years old
November 13, 2008
 
Encourages love of reading!
I highly recommend this book! My 3 and half year old was fascinating by the bats and their library antics. There is a great message about the joys of reading. Its fun and well written, with lots of interesting word choices to explain to your child.

Flag as inappropriate 
Kid, 11 years old
November 13, 2008
 
Encourages love of reading!
I highly recommend this book! My 3 and half year old was fascinating by the bats and their library antics. There is a great message about the joys of reading. Its fun and well written, with lots of interesting word choices to explain to your child.

Flag as inappropriate 
Parent of 6 year old
September 30, 2009
 
We bought it.
Love it for its gorgeous illustrations, encouraging a love of literature, and its use of some fun new big words for little kids to learn.

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Parent of 2 and 5 year old
July 26, 2009
 
We love bats!
Beautiful book!

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This review was written by Patricia Tauzer
Author:Brian Lies
Illustrator:Brian Lies
Book type:Fiction
Genre:Picture Book
Publisher:Houghton Mifflin Children's Books
Publication date:September 8, 2008
Number of pages:32
Hardcover price:$16.00
Publisher's recommended age(s):4 - 7
Read aloud:4
Read alone:6

This review was written by Patricia Tauzer
 

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About our rating system
ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids.
OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
Learning ratings
BEST: Really engaging, great learning approach.
GOOD: Pretty engaging, good learning approach.
FAIR: Somewhat engaging, OK learning approach.
NOT FOR LEARNING: Not recommended for learning.

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