Little Bat up all day

Lies adds to his popular Little Bat series with this brand-new adventure. Little Bat wants to stay up all day to meet the animals that sleep all night. The first few daylight hours are difficult, as the bright sunshine and noisy bustle of activity make it hard for him to get his bearings. When a hawk soars overhead, Little Bat is saved by a squirrel named Rusty, who offers to help the little guy stay awake until sunset. Despite frequently falling asleep, Little Bat has fun with Rusty, playing shadow games, swimming in a fountain, and discovering an abandoned bird house, which they clean and decorate as a clubhouse. The new pals grow sad when they realize that it will be hard to stay friends since Rusty is diurnal and Little Bat is nocturnal. Will their friendship survive? It does! The pair discovers they can leave notes for one another in the clubhouse. Expressively illustrated in saturated acrylics, watercolors, and colored pencil, this simple friendship tale highlights the benefit of stepping out of one's comfort zone.

There's nothing like staying up late. Or staying up early. Little Bat is curious about daytime. What is it like when the sun is in the sky, and what are the animals like that are awake during the day? Little Bat decides to stay awake after his family falls asleep and see daytime for himself. Although he is initially overwhelmed by the bright light and the noises of the daytime, echolocation helps Little Bat adjust to this new world and discover it's the same as the dark one he's used to living in. Saved from a hawk by a friendly squirrel named Rusty, Little Bat makes a friend and enlists her to help him stay awake to see the sunset. It's a difficult job, though, because bats are meant to sleep all day. Little Bat realizes he's not meant for diurnal life; the pair are able to maintain a friendship, however, by leaving notes in an old birdhouse that they convert into their own special clubhouse. The story's plot flows smoothy, and Rusty is an adorable new addition to Little Bat's world. Fans of Lies' rich illustrations will be delighted with this latest bat book, and readers unfamiliar with the other books will marvel at the mixture of realism and humor captured in the richly hued acrylic, watercolor, and colored pencil art. Educators may find this a useful title if considering class pen pals or to help explain how various human communities use shared spaces in different ways. (This book was reviewed digitally.) Readers will go batty with joy! (Picture book. 4-6) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.