The Bat: Wings in the Night Sky

An excellent book! Pictures are all exquisite - very close-up so you can really see what different bats look like. In addition to the terrific pictures, the text is also superb. The writing style and level of detail makes it perfect for someone like me who does not have a science background per se but is really interested in learning more about bat behavior, their anatomy and their needs. Bats from around the world are included here. Topics such as migration, feeding habits, flight, echolocation and hibernation are covered. This is more than just an overview of bats in general though, there are examples specific to bats that we might see. For example in the section on what bats eat, there's info on the Little Brown Bat and the fact that it tends to eat small aquatic insects versus Big Brown Bats tending to eat June beetles, etc

Did you know that studying bats can teach also teach us about humans? Those with poor sight are often labeled "blind as a bat" but the simple fact is that these small animals do have eyes and several species (like the flying foxes) see well, thank you very much. So what do they do when their echolocation "sees" one thing and their eyes tell them something different? What role does color play? This book is filled with neat information, scientific questions, and gorgeous color photographs that kids will love. The book is divided into seven chapters on everything from the basic lure of bats, their auditory "vision" and what they eat to where they live, how they look and how to conserve them. The rich photographs show all kinds of fruit, insect-eating and vampire bats, feeding and in their roosts all over the world. The book closes with four brief sections on bat classifications, anatomy, scientific and common names, and other books and technical publications about bats. The type is fairly large, and the text is both scientific easy enough for independent readers aged 10 and up. For kids who like nonfiction or nature this book is a must. And it will teach them to love these important animals, too long maligned. Alyssa A. Lappen

This book has great pictures and is full of many interesting, little-known facts about bats, without being too simple. Perfect for a new bat lover, or to introduce less bat-friendly people to the diversity and value of bats.

This book is great! I has alot of close and detailed pictures. It gives a really nice description on each species as well. I enjoy it, as well as my 5 year old.