| ________________
CM . . .
. Volume X Number 2. . . . September 19, 2003
excerpt: Some people are afraid of bats, but bats help us in many ways. Bats help control the number of insects in nature. They eat many insects that we consider pests, such as mosquitoes. Nectar-eating bats carry pollen from plant to plant. Spreading pollen helps plants with fruit and flowers to grow. Fruit-eating bats help spread plant seeds. They drop seeds in their body waste as they fly. These seeds grown into new plants. Bat homes are sometimes destroyed when people cut down trees or destroy old buildings. But many people are trying to help save bats. They tell others about all the good things that bats can do. They also work to protect bat homes and habitat. Kids, as well as parents, teachers, and librarians, will welcome the tenth book in the "Kids Can Press Wildlife Series." Continuing her clear, simple style, Adrienne Mason offers interesting and accurate facts for beginning researchers. The book follows the familiar pattern established in the series with a Table of Contents, double page spreads for each of 13 subtopics (such as Kinds of Bats, Bat Bodies, How Bats Learn and Grow), a page showing bat species around the world, Words to Know, and an Index. Focusing on North American bat species, each section presents brief information in an easy-to-read print format, with generous illustration and labels. Most sections include a Bat Fact box with a neat bit of trivia: did you know there are over 950 species of bats? The final subheading, Bats and People, clearly dispels any lingering concerns about the value of bats. Illustrations by series partner Nancy Gray Ogle are detailed and attractive, showing a selection of bat species in various natural settings. Inserts and closeups give precise views to enhance the accompanying text. Some cross-sections help with the explanations: for example, there's an inside view of the wing and muscles that operate it, and a cut-away view of the interior of a bat house. The books are well-priced to allow readers to collect the complete series. There's enough data here to satisfy a youngster with early reading skills or to intrigue an older reader who can use the book as a starting point for further investigation of the topic. Highly Recommended. Gillian Richardson, a freelance writer and former teacher-librarian, lives in BC.
To comment
on this title or this review, send mail to cm@umanitoba.ca.
Copyright © the Manitoba Library Association. Reproduction for personal
use is permitted only if this copyright notice is maintained. Any
other reproduction is prohibited without permission.
NEXT REVIEW |TABLE OF CONTENTS FOR THIS ISSUE - September 19, 2003. AUTHORS | TITLES | MEDIA REVIEWS | PROFILES | BACK ISSUES | SEARCH | CMARCHIVE | HOME |
