If you read this blog regularly you must have discovered that I am a fan of the talented writing and illustrations of Brian Lies (spelled like LIES but pronounced like CHEESE). I've reviewed many of his picture books, including one series feature a colony of creative and distinctive bats (HERE).
Several of his BAT titles are written in rhyme, but not all. In each, there is one little bat who, inexplicably, wears yellow floaties at the base of his wings. Little Bat often appears on the final page turn, snuggled against his mother's chest as she flies them home to sleep at dawn.
LITTLE BAT has garnered much attention over the years. Recently, LITTLE BAT IN NIGHT SCHOOL offered Little Bat a starring role in his launch into night school, with a clever story told in prose. (Take this mention as a timely reminder for anyone preparing first-timers to school. The gentle humor and recognizably mixed emotions will open discussions and provide good-hearted reassurance.)
Now, Little Bat is back in LITTLE BAT UP ALL DAY. Just a year or so older, he has grown bold and curious enough to defy his mother's warning to NOT go out in the daytime. Why? More noise, more animals, ones he has not met. Ones who sleep at night while bats are about.
Clarion Books, 2022
But Little Bat feels compelled to know about them, to get answers to his questions, to find new friends. In each of the prior books, readers see that long nights are very busy (and exhausting), making daytime snoozes necessary. But Little Bat's curiosity overcomes his heavy eyelids, leading him through the louvres and into open daylight.
The blinding light, noises, and unfamiliar landscape confuse him, until his desperate chirp reveals an echo of his familiar home. With the confidence of knowing where he is, he begins his search for new friends. He mistakenly seeks the attention of a hawk, but Rusty squirrel saves the day. He sets Little Bat on a safe path to move about in daylight.
This friendship story is exhilarating and appealing, with delightful details in text, emotional expressions, and imaginative actions and locations. As Little Bat dozes off time after time, denying it time after time, he must finally admit that he is a nocturnal fella who needs to go to sleep.
Thus, almost as if star-crossed lovers, they part with the sense that their friendship was "not meant to be", as we say. Even so, when Little Bat is out after dark he retraces their play trail, making a very satisfying discovering.
I adore the character development and personalities in each of the bat characters, (or any animal character from any Lies picture book). In this bat series I especially appreciate the ways in which the illustration elements have a sort of Russian nesting doll quality, with bits from early pages appearing in some ways later in the story, layering rich connections and depth into the events and the individuals. The same is true from one book to the next. For example, Little Bat's foray into school builds the internal skills and tools he needs to make this latest book's resolution feel natural and irresistible. The pop-up book gingerbread house in BATS IN THE LIBRARY foreshadow the friendship setting of this current book, too.
Each time I read and share a book by Brian Lies, whether in rhyme or prose, written by others or by the illustrator, and starring familiar characters like Little Bat or a new cast (HERE), I urge readers to check them out and explore them thoroughly. Once again, please do just that. You won't be sorry, and I am guessing that you will immediately be thinking of a young audience for whom this book would be perfect.
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My brief hiatus involved travel and visiting with family. Then, more travel for a week in LA to celebrate a joyous wedding with family and friends, old and new. It was my first trip to that coast. As a lifelong midwesterner, I had routinely wondered aloud how anyone would choose to live with the looming dangers of earthquakes and mudslides and more. In only a week I began to understand the appeal of the climate, casual friendliness, and curiosities that would make each day there an adventure and a great place to live. Now, like Little Bat, I am safely home and settled into my midwest way of life. Even so, that exploration confirmed that I'll make it a point to reconnect with the coast again in the future! Here's wishing you joyous times with family and friends, and open eyes to search out new and exciting explorations!
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