Shadows of the Night: The Hidden World of the Little Brown Bat - Hardcover

Bash, Barbara

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0871565625 ISBN 13: 9780871565624

Publisher: Sierra Club Books for Children, 1993

Synopsis

When many of the earth's creatures are seeking shelter for the night, bats are waking and beginning to hunt. In this delightful picture book, award-winning author and artist Barbara Bash guides readers into the shadowy world of the Little Brown Bat, one of the most common species in North America.

About this title

About the Authors

Barbara Bash, author-illustrator of six award-winning titles for Sierra Club Books for Children, has worked for many years as a calligrapher, illustrator, and teacher of book arts and botanical drawing. She lives in upstate New York.

Barbara Bash, author-illustrator of six award-winning titles for Sierra Club Books for Children, has worked for many years as a calligrapher, illustrator, and teacher of book arts and botanical drawing. She lives in upstate New York.

From the Inside Flap

Just when many of earth's creatures are seeking shelter for the night, bats--nature's only flying mammals--are beginning to hunt. As the warm colors of evening deepen, their mysterious silhouettes seem to flicker across the sky. In this delightful picture book, award-winning author-artist Barbara Bash guides readers into the shadowy realm of the Little Brown Bat, one of the most common species in North America. Her fascinating portrait follows a year in the life cycle of this amazing animal--from the maternity colonies where bat pups are born and nurtured until they can hunt on their own, through the late summer "bat conventions" where males and females gather to mate, to the hibernation caves hidden among the hills, where the bats winter in a state of deep torpor. Although there are nearly a thousand different kinds of bats throughout the world, to many people they remain objects of fear and superstition. With lucid text and glowing watercoolers, Barbara Bash illuminates the hidden world of the bat, dispelling the mystery that surrounds these harmless and beneficial creatures of the dark.

Reviews

Grade 1-3-- Positive attributes of the little brown bat are emphasized as Bash states on the dedication page that the animal is considered a symbol of good fortune and wisdom in China. She remains true to this positive theme by beginning the book in a maternity colony as female bats give birth and demonstrate the same tenderness and care for their pups that the more "cuddly" mammals show toward their young. Activities throughout the seasons are followed as the young mature, hunt for insects, hibernate in caves, and emerge to begin another yearly cycle. Bash's illustrative talents shine as she provides visual variety in depicting her subjects, which to many may appear rather drab. Alternating barn settings with the deep tones of moonlit nights and sunset scenes provide light and dark backgrounds for closeups or for hundreds of bats dramatically flying through the air. Of special appeal are sequential pictures of a bat catching insects by flying in various positions as it uses its wings and membranes to capture prey. Lively and descriptive language accompanies the illustrations. Appended pages include facts about other species, show a man-made bat house, and caution against touching the animals because of possible rabies. An excellent choice to dispel myths and for the study of this nocturnal and hibernating species. --Diane Nunn, Richard E. Byrd Elementary School, Glen Rock, NJ
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

The author-illustrator of several outstanding science books (Urban Roosts, 1990) brings her sensitivity to natural history and design to the life cycle of a common North American bat. An artist's eye is apparent in each dramatic spread here--velvety black bats swooping against blue-black skies, with text and moon glowing in silver-white; rough-grained barn beams drawing the eye to a life-sized bat with a naked pink pup clinging to her fur; hibernating bats clustered near the ceiling of a gray cave. In her brief text, Bash describes the bats' birth and migration and explains how they use echolocation to find prey. A final section shows some unique bat noses and ears, the hopping movement of the vampire bat, and a bat house that readers can make. Beautiful and informative. (Nonfiction. 7-10) -- Copyright ©1993, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

The evening sky deepens into night. Birds return to their roosts, and many other animals quietly nestle into their burrows. But some creatures are just waking up. Dark shapes flutter across the sky, suddenly turning, diving, swooping. Bats are beginning to hunt.
This is the story of the Little Brown Bat, one of the most common bats in North America. For its small size, this species has a very long life span--sometimes more than thirty years. Its scientific name is Myotis lucifugus. These Latin words mean "mouse-eared" and "light-fleeing."

Edition details

• Publisher: Sierra Club Books for Children
• Publication date: 1993
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0871565625
• ISBN 13: 9780871565624
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: Bash Barbara
• Edition number: 2
• Number of pages: 32