Published by Dorling Kindersley, 2020.
The Bat Book is third in a series of animal books which highlight important ecological issues (Charlotte has previously written and illustrated The Bee Book and The Sea Book).
I’ll admit to never giving much thought to bats before I read this book. My knowledge of them was very limited and I certainly didn’t realise just what an important environmental role they play. The Bat Book has changed all that; it’s packed full of fascinating bat facts.
The book’s scope is broad, covering a wide variety of information, from what bats look like to where they live, how they hunt, what they eat, and why they hang upside down. Charlotte also outlines the crucial work that bats do in terms of pollination, seed dispersal and pest control. We learn why bat numbers are on the decline and what we can do to help them – I’m definitely going to have a go at making and planting seed balls to grow bat-friendly flowers. I really liked all the extra slightly funny bits of information too. Charlotte shows us bats with style (some bats have spiky hair), bats with funny faces, and cute bumblebee bats whose bodies are about the size of a large bee.
The Bat Book is extremely accessible and very visually appealing. The text is clear and child-friendly. The explanation of how echolocation works is particularly brilliant. The page layout is superb – diagrams, labels, tables, captions, fact boxes and lists make it very easy and enjoyable to navigate the information. Charlotte’s bright, bold illustrations will really appeal to younger readers. The Bat Book is beautiful; many of the book’s spreads are stunning.
I’ve learnt so much reading The Bat Book. For instance, I had no idea that there are over 1,300 species of bat or that some bats are so small that they can roost in the hollow stems of bamboo! Bats really are extraordinary creatures and this is an extraordinary book.
Suitable for children aged 5+
Thank you to Dorling Kindersley for sending me this book to review. I reviewed it as part of The Bat Book blog tour where Charlotte talked to to me about why she chose to write about bats and why she thinks they’re important. You can read what she had to say here.