Hello, Bumblebee Bat

October 1, 2007
PreS-Gr 2-Although the text in this easy picture book is mildly informative, the question-and-answer format"Bumblebee Bat, what do you eat? I eat small insects like moths and flies"is uninspired. The facts are ticked off in bland sentences that fail to impart any information that would make these little-known creatures seem extraordinary or worth reading about. Instead of being worked into the "story," the most interesting facts are listed at the back of the book, where they are likely to go unnoticed. The quiet pictures, done in watercolor, ink, and colored pencil, support the text, but also hold no surprises."Martha Simpson, Stratford Library Association, CT"

Copyright 2007 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

June 1, 2007
Meet the inch-long bumblebee bat, the smallest bat species in the world. Each left-hand page poses a question to a little bat, such as, Bumblebee Bat, how do you see at night? The bat answers, I make a squeaky sound that bounces back from whatever it hits. I see by hearing. Beginning each question with the bats memorable name heightens the pleasing sense of pattern in the text, which offers information that children can understand, but avoids overwhelming them with too many facts. Wynne, who illustrated Caroline Arnolds Super Swimmers (2007), contributes an appealing set of pictures that complement the text. The large-scale artwork, appearing on right-hand pages, shows the bat flying, feeding, escaping from a predator, entering a cave, and finally sleeping. The bumblebee bats tiny size is apparent only when it is shown next to a bee or a butterfly. Delicate ink drawings are brightened with watercolors and colored pencils. The last spread offers a little more information about bumblebee bats.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2007, American Library Association.)