- Paperback: 32 pages
- Publisher: Charlesbridge Publishing; Reprint edition (Feb 1 2009)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1570916578
- ISBN-13: 978-1570916571
- Product Dimensions: 27.7 x 21.1 x 0.8 cm
- Shipping Weight: 159 g
- Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #551,019 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Details |
Product Description
From School Library Journal
Starred Review. Grade 1-4–A little bat is born in a cave with millions of other female bats and their young. The fight for survival is apparent from his first moments of life–predators threaten the powerless infant from all sides. Drama ensues over a week later when his mother dies at the claws of a barn owl, and the baby goes hungry for several days. However, he is ultimately saved by a mother bat who has lost her baby and is searching for a new mouth to feed. Markle incorporates many facts about the Mexican free-tailed bats in a natural manner. These facts enhance the story, but don't get in the way of the compelling plot. Listeners will learn quite a bit about bats and their first days. Marks's illustrations bring out the rich colors of the night and give a sense of the immensity of the world as compared to the tiny baby bat. A compelling way to learn about these fascinating creatures.–Susan E. Murray, Glendale Public Library, AZ
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
From Booklist
*Starred Review* Gr. 2-4. Through the story of one newborn bat that loses its mother, this beautiful picture book brings close the incredible facts about the more than 20 million Mexican free-tailed bats that live in a cave close to Austin, Texas. When the baby bat is born ("naked-pink and tiny as a peanut in its shell"), it crawls onto its mother, and, tucked beneath her wing, it nurses, "clinging to her fur / with tiny hooked claws." Every night the mother races out to gorge on insects, then returns to nurse her little baby. One night, she is killed by an owl, and the little bat waits and waits. Finally a new mother finds the baby and takes over the role of keeping it safe. The lucid free verse tells the elemental nature drama, and Marks' beautiful double-page watercolors with delicate ink details are equally effective at depicting the expansive blue sky and the tiny, furry brown baby, alone and then cuddled up safely at last. Back matter includes annotated resources, and amazing facts and numbers about bats that are as dramatic as the story. Children will want to go on from this to Markle's Outside and Inside Bats (2004) and Markle and Marks' Mother's Journey (2005). Hazel Rochman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
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Most helpful customer reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
A TOUCHING STORY BEAUTIFULLY ILLUSTRATED,
By
This review is from: Little Lost Bat (Hardcover)
While bats are not usually thought of as endearing creatures, they are as painted in watercolors by artist Alan Marks. A winner of the Carnegie Medal he does not resort to anthropomorphism but rather depicts the bats realistically with their wings a luminous violet hue and their claws sharply on the ready. His full-page illustrations will be enjoyed over and over again.Sandra Markle has created a touching story of a tiny Mexican free-tailed bat who is born in Bracken Cave in central Texas. He is as small "as a peanut in its shell," and the minute he is born at the roof of the cave his mother folds up her tail membrane to keep him from falling to the hungry beetles on the cave floor. This particular mother bat does not have a partner to help her so she must leave the cave to hunt for food for herself and her baby. She returns to the cave often to let her baby nurse and within a week he is beginning to grow fur. However, one night when she is out hunting she is caught by a barn owl. How a week old bat survives without his mother is at the center of this sad and hopeful story. Highly recommended. - Gail Cooke
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
4.0 out of 5 stars (9 customer reviews) 7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars
A Mistitled Book,
By Eilonwy - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Little Lost Bat (Hardcover)
I don't think of myself as a particularly protectionist sort of mother, but I would recommend thinking twice before buying this book for younger children. Both my boys, who have made it through traditional tear-jerkers like Charlotte's Web, were very upset when we first read this picture book. (Even after we returned it to the library it still lives on in memory in our household as "The Bad Bat Book.") This book is not so much about a little lost bat as it is about an orphaned bat. There is never any doubt about where the baby bat is--it is the mother who is lost.I agree with other reviewers who find the art work and the real natural science portrayed in this book as valuable. It simply isn't going to be appropriate for most younger children who still have a strong maternal attachment. Save it for readers who are perhaps 8 and older. 1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Heart-rending and hopeful,
By Linda Kissling - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Little Lost Bat (Hardcover)
This is a tender, heart-rending tale of a new-born bat whose mother does not return to him. He is eventually adopted by another mother bat who cannot find her own baby. Much information about the Mexican free-tailed bat is presented, beautifully illustrated in subdued watercolors, pen and pencil. This is not a story to share in a large group - sad and intense for the young listeners. For instance, we see that the mother is taken by an owl. We are also informed that babies who drop to the floor of the cave are devoured by beetles. But there is a hopeful element, too. An author's note at the end of the book explains that as many as ten percent of bat mothers nurse babies that are not their own. There is also a list of additional resources and some facts about bats at the end as well. Hold your child and share this amazing story.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
An Adoption Story,
By Julie G. - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Little Lost Bat (Hardcover)
As an adoptive mother, I think this story beautifully tells the story of loss and healing in adoption. It was a little over the head of my 2 year old, but my 7 year old understood and was able to see how the story relates to our family.
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