Science Comics--Bats

December 1, 2016
Along with an injured little brown bat, readers meet over a dozen other bat species and learn all about bat behavior.The plotline and the pedagogy are largely unintegrated, and they often battle on the page for attention. Signaled by a change of background color, rows and boxes of information about bat anatomy, flight, diet, echolocation, research, and other topics shoehorn themselves arbitrarily into the bat protagonist's disastrous encounter with a group of desert tourists and subsequent stay at a veterinary hospital. As his broken wing heals, he meets other bats from around the world ("Namaste" says an Indian flying fox. "And 'ello lil mate! Whaddya they call ya?" greets a fruit bat from Australia) who are likewise injured or disabled. By the time his wing is healed, he's learned to accept differences in others, and readers have learned not only how bats live, but how to coexist with them. Koch piles on a reading list along with information about bat careers and shelters at the end. In her neatly drawn illustrations, the bats are diverse in appearance, but aside from some children in classroom settings, the vet and most other human figures are light-skinned. Lots of science and a little story--but it's an uneasy mix. (Graphic informational fiction. 8-10)

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Starred review from January 1, 2017

Gr 3-7-This latest in the science-related graphic novel series turns its focused eye to the world of bats. A little brown bat is lost in a Southwestern desert at night, just as a group of nature lovers are out for a tour. Injured in a commotion with the humans, the bat is taken to a wild animal hospital. This loose story line allows the author to include facts about a wide variety of bats, some native to the area and some not. At the hospital, a number of creatures introduce themselves, describing their eating habits, physical characteristics, and habitats. Humor is abundant throughout, as bats explore their own misinformation about people. Human/bat interactions are a large part of the book, and Koch demystifies commonly held beliefs about bats and discusses habitat loss. The writing is accessible and engaging, and the level of content is detailed enough for young researchers, but casual browsers and graphic novel enthusiasts will find this an attractive choice, too. VERDICT An excellent addition to school and classroom libraries.-Jody Kopple, Shady Hill School, Cambridge, MA

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