October is Bat Appreciation Month, and rightly so. Let’s highlight some books about these nocturnal creatures, all available from the Chatham Area Public Library.
These adult nonfiction books might intrigue some to learn more about bats. The Secret Lives of Bats by Merlin D. Tuttle reveals why these special creatures should be protected rather than feared. Tuttle has been enamored with bats since discovering a colony in a cave as a boy. He’s spent his career traveling the world to document them. Tuttle shares research showing that frog-eating bats can identify frogs by their calls, that vampire bats have a social order similar to that of primates, and that bats have remarkable memories. Realize how sophisticated and intelligent bats are by reading this book. Tuttle’s work of saving bats is also highlighted in the film Bat City USA, available on Kanopy. This video follows the story of a colony of bats that moved into an Austin, TX bridge and how the city went from threatening extermination to appreciation of the bats. Another nonfiction book about bats is Bat Bomb by Jack Couffer. This is the weird, but true story of a military plan to win WWII in the Pacific. The idea was to attach small incendiary bombs to millions of bats and release them over Japan’s major cities. When the bats went to roost, their cities would be reduced to ashes. This plan made sense to a handful of eccentric promoters and researchers. This book is a true story of action and adventure that also highlights the beginnings of the scientific study of bats.
The Young Adult series starting with Silverwing by Kenneth Oppel is a fantasy story following Shade, a young bat as he gets separated from his colony on the trek south for the winter. He meets a cast of characters and must learn who to trust if he hopes to ever see his family again. The following books, Sunwing and Firewing follow Shade on more adventures, including the horrors of animal testing and a journey to the underworld.
A discussion of children’s books about bats has to include Stellaluna by Janell Cannon. This picture book is the story of baby bat, Stellaluna, and how she falls into a bird’s nest, being raised by birds until she is reunited with her mother. Hello, Bumblebee Bat by Darrin Lunde is a nonfiction book that introduces the endangered bumblebee bat of Thailand. Bats at the Beach by Brian Lies is first in a series that follows bats on many adventures. The bats enjoy sand, sea, and the moon in this cute and cheery book.
Enjoy the fascinating aspects of bats this season with these books. All books mentioned are either available in print or as ebooks through Libby or hoopla and everything is free with your Chatham Area Public Library card.