Book Review: Little Lost Bat

Each year the Animal Behavior Society selects an Outstanding Children's Book that accurately presents animal behavior and behavior ecology in literature for children in grades 3-5.
The following title was one of the finalist for the 2007 Award. This book was my personal favorite. I even cried at the end.

Animal Behavior for Kids: Children’s Book Award Book Review

Title: Little Lost Bat
Author: Sandra Markle
Illustrated by Alan Marks
Published by Charlesbridge, Watertown, MA

The author and illustrator create a touching and accurate image of the birth and care of an infant Mexican free-tailed bat. The story depicts realistic accounts of the ups and downs of the life of a young bat – the struggle to stay warm, clinging to the safety of the cave ceiling, and the daily ritual of locating its mother by call among the other thousands of bat calls. The students were most impressed with the description of the birth of the baby bat, noting how the mother curls her body into a hammock shape while hanging upside-down. Students were able to relate the care and attention the mother bat provided her baby to the care and attention their own mothers provide to them and their siblings. The story also tells of loss and survival and how caring and affection exist among all animals, not just humans. I, like many of the students, would recommend this book to friends.