Bats

February 1, 1994
Gr 1-3-A look at the basic characteristics of bats in language that early readers can handle. Milton's data is accurate and her writing style is above average for this type of book. She varies both sentence structure and length while keeping the vocabulary manageable. Millicent Selsam and Joyce Hunt's First Look at Bats (Walker, 1991) goes into more detail about specific types of bats, while Milton centers on general characteristics, life cycle, and family patterns. In addition, she tries to correct some inaccurate beliefs about these mammals. Moffatt's sharp and crisp cut-paper collages, similar to those in Molly Bang's The Paper Crane (Greenwillow, 1985), appear on every page. She uses different colors to emphasize details and shades of color to make some pages appear three dimensional. Particularly striking are the pictures showing the birth of a bat and an owl chasing one. Children will be drawn into Bats from the first look at the cover. An attractive addition to any collection.-Mary Ann Bursk, Bucks County Free Library, Levittown, PA

December 1, 1993
Gr. 1-3. This simple text, written in short sentences, packs in lots of information about creatures that fascinate kids. The design is cheerful, with brightly colored papercut collage illustrations that create a 3-D effect. Some of the pictures are funny, especially those that show our fear of vampire bats and Dracula, and kids will be drawn into reading the compelling facts. ((Reviewed Dec. 1, 1993))(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 1993, American Library Association.)