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The Bat Scientists (2010)

by Mary Kay Carson(Favorite Author)

4.12 of 5 Votes: 1

ISBN

0547199562 (ISBN13: 9780547199566)

languge

English

genre

Middle Grade & Children's

publisher

HMH Books for Young Readers

review 1: The Bat Scientists is basically a cheerleader for bats and a reminder of how important bats are to many ecosystems. Bats have long been misunderstood and mistreated by humans; some of the most common bat myths are that they are disease-carrying, human-biting, flying rodents. In actuality bats do not carry disease at a higher rate than other mammals, they typically avoid humans, and are more closely related to monkeys than rodents. The book follows various bat scientists and details their work, while also including information and interesting facts about bats and all the reasons why they truly do matter. The book is filled with photographs of various bat species, the caves they dwell and hibernate in (hibernacula), other natural and man-made bat habitats, and photos of ... morebat scientists working in the field. Also included are detailed diagrams, many pairing actual photos with added illustration for better understanding of concepts discussed in the book such as ultrasonic echolocation. Admittedly when I picked up this book I was a bit disgusted just by the cover alone, never having been a fan of bats by any means, I was not looking forward to reading this book. Much to my surprise, although I admit bats still creep me out a bit, I definitely have a newfound respect for these creatures and a better understanding of the importance of their survival. Overall, the book did an excellent job of presenting thorough information on the many aspects of bats, their habitats, threats to bats, and the organization Bat Conservation International (BCI) and its efforts. The photographs throughout the book brought the reader up-close and personal with the bats, and more importantly the photos showed the bats in a non-threatening way, this is important since bats have historically been pictured and imagined exactly the opposite. Young readers will really enjoy this book and not only learn a lot about bats but surely appreciate them more after reading it. For those who want to learn more about bats, the author includes a list of resources at the end of the book, included in these resources is information on putting up your own bat house via BCI’s website, readers can do their part by helping bats in their own backyard.
review 2: Genre: Children’s Book, InformationalSummary: This Scientists in the Field book focuses on bats, which are surprisingly endangered. Mary Kay Carson details the different bats, facts about bats, and shows scientists studying how bats live and how to help them. Critique: a) One of the great aspects of this book are the colorful photographs and maps which aid in informing the reader of bats. When children read informative books, many are easily bored by simply stating facts. This book focuses on how to help bats, their homes, and what scientists are doing to study them. To help tell these facts the author includes many pictures and maps. All are colorful and perfectly coordinate with what is going on in the book. Some even help in adding facts. Photos of different types of bats allow the author to include a caption telling about the bat in the photo. One particular fact that I was interested in was that smaller bats live in North America and some areas surrounding us. Larger bats live in Australia and areas surrounding that continent. A map shows exactly where each type live. This allows for a visual which helps children remember information better. Curriculum Connection: Teachers can use this book to teach children about bats. Projects on habitats or certain animals can benefit from this book. The teacher can also focus on endangered animals. Children need to realize that animals are being harmed due to environmental changes and humans invading their habitats. Children can be taught how to save these animals. The teacher can use this book to have the children help create a bat house for them to hang outside the school. less

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