ALA Booklist (Fri Mar 01 00:00:00 CST 2013)

Veteran science writer Markle's basic introduction maintains a fine balance between general observations and specific facts. She has chosen particularly well when it comes to the photos: bats in flight, at rest, seizing prey, and clearly displaying distinctive body parts ("Compared to its body size, the Tube-Lipped Nectar Bat has the world's longest tongue"). Along with identifying 14 kinds of bats and explaining how their sizes influence their behaviors, she discusses bat diets and senses, the differences between the way bats and birds use their wings to fly, how they care for their young, and other relevant topics en closes with a simplified world-range map and annotated lists of print and Web resources. Along with being an excellent primer on these appealingly ugly little (and not so little) creatures, this makes a natural lead into the author's classic Outside and Inside Bats (1997).

Horn Book (Thu Aug 01 00:00:00 CDT 2013)

In this book, size comparison is an appropriate vehicle for information about bats. The selective facts are well chosen and their presentation is lively. From the large gray-headed flying fox to the tiny bumblebee bat, these flying rodents are described engagingly ("Big, leathery wings make a good raincoat"), and colorful, close-up photos enrich the text. A distribution map is appended. Reading list, websites. Glos.

School Library Journal (Sat Jun 01 00:00:00 CDT 2013)

Gr 2-5 Markle returns to the world of bats in this simply written introduction to a fascinating array of flitterers. Using size as a starting point, she goes on to explain the benefits of being large or small, and the adaptations bats have made in their chosen habitats and lifestyles over the millennia. From extra-long tongues for nectar extraction to super-sharp talons for snatching slippery fish, flaps of skin around the nose to allow them to hear echoes from one direction at a time and suction cups on thumbs and ankles, bats have evolved to fill empty ecological niches. The clear text is simple and readable, describing the hunting techniques of microbats and the fruit-finding talents of megabats, and even delves into some forms of bat housing. Enriched by superb color photos and complete with sites for further investigation, the whole presentation is interesting and useful as well as attractive. On a par with Elizabeth Carney's equally handsome Bats (National Geographic, 2010) and far simpler than Markle's own Outside &; Inside Bats (Walker, 2004), this eye-catching work fills a niche of its own. Patricia Manning, formerly at Eastchester Public Library, NY