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I love doing activities or unit studies based on specific themes. Fall is a great time for themes such as fall leaves, apples, pumpkins, and even bats!
I recently compiled 20+ batty crafts, snacks, and activities to try at home, which was published on Hands On As We Grow.
After doing some batty crafts, snacks, and activities, you may want to huddle together like a colony of bats and enjoy some batty books. Although there are many bat books to choose from, below is a list of eight bat books I was able to check out from my local library.
This rhyming picture book shows the many acts of a group of bats performing in front of other animals. It counts from one to ten and then back again from ten to one. The “show won’t be over until the bat lady sings”.
Little Lost Bat by Sandra Markle
This is a longer story with some sad realities of a bat’s life. It starts with a female Mexican free-tailed bat giving birth to her little baby. It discusses the life of a little bat inside of a cave including some dangers. For example, it states “a snake lurking at the entrance crawls across the cave ceiling and snags a baby bat for dinner”. It also talks about the bats searching for meals of moths, beetles, and mosquitoes; a bat using echolocation (although it only describes the process instead of using the word echolocation); and it goes into detail of an owl snatching the mother bat out of the air. The baby bat waits and waits inside the cave for his mom to arrive, but she never does because she has been taken by the owl. At the end, the baby bat finds another mom bat (who has lost her baby bat) to take care of him.
Although this story does show the realities a bat may face in the wild, some children may have a difficult time accepting the loss of a baby bat and the death of the mom.
Bat Loves the Night by Nicola Davies
This story focuses on a pipistrelle bat’s activities throughout a day including waking up, gliding, capturing a meal, and feeding her own little baby bat. Various bat facts are also included throughout the pages.
Hello, Bumblebee Bat by Darrin Lunde
This story has simple text for little readers. It is set up in question and answer format. For example, the little bat is asked his name, and the little bat responds that his name is Bumblebee Bat. Throughout the book, the bat answers how small he is, what he looks like, how he sees at night, where he lives, how he sleeps, and more.
I found this book in the children’s nonfiction section at my library. It focuses specifically on information concerning bumblebee bats.
Bats at the Library by Brian Lies
This rhyming picture book talks about the adventures a colony of bats has at the library throughout one night. They hang upside down from a lamp, create shadows, copy themselves, splash in a drinking fountain, and (of course) read.
Bats in the Band by Brian Lies
This rhyming picture book starts with bats awakening after hibernation. So, what do bats do when they no longer are quietly hibernating? They create music with horns, bagpipes, bugles, violins, straws, spoons, and more. There’s a one-bat band that plays, a group that plays a country song, and more. As night ends and the bats head home, they realize music can be found in everything.
Bats at the Ballgame by Brian Lies
This rhyming picture book shows the adventures of bats at a ballgame. A vendor flutters around with mothdogs, the mound is raked (with a fork), the anthem is sung, and the bats play a great game of bat-ball. What team will win before the night ends?
Bats at the Beach by Brian Lies
This rhyming picture book shows the adventures of bats at (you guessed it) a beach. The bats even take turns being kites (as seen on the cover) and enjoy dessert at the snack bar (hanging upside down around a single light bulb that is attracting many insects).
What do you think of bats? Are they cute and furry or creepy creatures?
Brigitte Brulz 