Bats in the Band
By Tracy Moore,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Bats celebrate the end of hibernation with live music.
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What's the Story?
The bats are out of hibernation and reveling in the sights and sounds they've been sleeping through for months. To celebrate the new season, they head out to the theater, where they're treated to a musical variety that skips through genres, styles, and signatures only to discover that, long after the performance is over, there's music to be found in everything.
Is It Any Good?
BATS IN THE BAND is a rich visual read. If it were only an instructional tour of different musical styles, it would still be educational. But it takes a love of music one step further by showing the way it affects us before, during, and after the experience, from anticipating to reveling to hearing music in our heads as we leave the venue. Plus, it connects this experience to becoming artists of a kind ourselves: Inspired by what we've seen, we can see and hear music in things we once ignored or missed -- a buzzing streetlight or a tumbling trash can. The illustrations, done in acrylic paint, and the rhythmic text give it a warm, nostalgic glow. Captivating for kids who've shown an interest in any instrument, spoon or otherwise.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about different musical styles. Which is your favorite? Do you like country or jazz or rock music? Why?
Have you ever seen a live music performance? What were some of the instruments? Did you dance and sing or sit quietly and listen?
Have you ever made your own instruments out of household items such as spoons or bowls? Try starting your own family band with things lying around the house.
Book Details
- Author: Brian Lies
- Illustrator: Brian Lies
- Genre: Picture Book
- Topics: Magic and Fantasy, Adventures, Arts and Dance, Science and Nature, Wild Animals
- Book type: Fiction
- Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers
- Publication date: August 5, 2014
- Publisher's recommended age(s): 4 - 8
- Number of pages: 32
- Available on: Nook, Hardback, iBooks, Kindle
- Last updated: July 12, 2017
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