SLIS 5420- Module 1

Bats at the Library
by Brian Lies


Lies, Brian. (2008). Bats at the Library. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin Company.



Summary

This whimsical story tells of a lively group of bats who discover one boring night that the window of the local library has been left open after dark. They can hardly contain their excitement as they hurry inside. The opportunity to explore the books doesn't come around often for this group! The older bats setttle in quickly with favorites to read, while the young ones explore and have fun, listening to story time and enjoying pop-up books. A wonderful time is had by all, until the sun begins to come up and they all must fly.

Impressions

I enjoyed this book as it puts a fun spin on the library and all that a person can enjoy there. The author does a great job of conveying the joy that reading and getting lost in a story can bring. I love the way that the bats are all so thrilled to visit, and what a treat it is for them. The illustrations, which are done by the author, are beautiful and interesting, and complete the story very well.

Reviews

When a library window is left ajar, news travels fast through the bat colony and what had started out as a normal kind of evening…turns into a very special, fun-filled evening in the public library. After much reading and much play with the photocopier and the water fountain, the bats all settle down in the library for an enchanting storytime. If the readers of Bats in the Library look closely, they’ll see that the book is upside down!

Brodie, C. (2009). Bats, Bats, and More Bats! (Bats at the Library). School Library Monthly, 26(2), 24-26.

The author's full page illustrations appear in various hues of blue to gold reflecting the passage of time. In the last set of lines, the bats are thinking about all the things they read and look forward to the call for "Bat Night at the Library." My favorite lines in the story are "Please keep it down—you must behave! This library is not your cave!" This is an enjoyable story for young library visitors.

Scroggs, S. (2009). Bats at the Library. Library Media Connection, 27(5), 67.

Suggestions for Use

This is a wonderful book to use with younger grades to introduce them to the library and all the wonderful possiblities it holds for them. I have actually used this already with Kinder and First grades this year, and they loved it! We read the story and then went back and talked about the different aspects and activities that the bats were doing throughout the book and compared them to our library, while putting a fun spin on it. (ex: Do we have story time here in our library? Do we hang upside down while we listen to stories??)