The Bat

April 15, 2020
Grades K-3 Gravel's Disgusting Critters series (2 new titles) nears its conclusion with these penultimate installments on the bat and cockroach. For the uninitiated, these endearing, comical works of nonfiction spotlight gross animals and borrow graphic novel conventions, namely large illustrations and speech-bubble commentary from the critters themselves. Friendly and cute, the flying mammal headlining The Bat shows off his wings and propensity for sleeping upside-down, as short, informative paragraphs impart details about bats' size, diets, sweet echolocation skills, hibernation habits, and reproduction as well as threats humans pose to them (not the other way around!). One spread shows a bat holding a picketing sign, while the text points out their underrated contributions to nature, such as eating insects and pollinating plants. Be on the lookout for Mosquitos this July, which will complete this popular series that oozes, wriggles, and buzzes with kid appeal.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)