Bats

Bats Around the Clock
by Kathi Appelt and illustrated by Melissa Sweet

There is a twelve hour program called American Batstand where the bats are going to dance a whole bunch of different kinds of dances, and the host of the program is Click Dark. The dancing starts with the shrug at one, the jitterbug at two, the spin at three, and several other dances every hour. The bats also dance in the street, doing the locomotion. Then at seven it was time for the twist. The bats even dance the hokey pokey at nine. Finally, the bats have danced for twelve hours, and now it is time for the special guest, who has “blue suede shoes.” Who is the special guest? Will the bats continue to dance?

Homework Hassles
by Abby Klein

Freddy’s teacher wants the class to do reports on nocturnal animals. Everyone else seems to be able to think of a cool nocturnal animal, but Freddy cannot think of one. Mrs. Wushy, his teacher, tells him to think about it. Freddy invites his friend Robbie over to observe different animals at night. The plan is to go outside after Freddy’s parents are asleep, but Freddy is very worried about this plan. The boys see some possum tracks, but Freddy is getting very cold. So he decides to climb a tree, but he ends up falling down and breaking his arm. He has to go to the hospital and get a cast. Breaking his arm means that he will have to make a lot of changes over the next few weeks, and it does not change the fact that he still does not have a nocturnal animal to write about. Robbie’s mom finally gives Freddy a great idea for his report? What animal will Freddy choose to write about? What kinds of interesting things will he learn about that animal?

Baby Bat’s Lullaby
by Jacquelyn Mitchard and illustrated by Julia Noonan

A mother bat sings a lullaby to her little baby bat as they snuggle together in the rising sunlight. She sings to him all of the things that her little bat is, such as a forest streaker, a darling night creeper, a mosquito frightener, an upside-down clinger, and many other things.

Batty About Texas
by J. Jaye Smith and illustrated by Kathy Coates

This nonfiction book is about the bats of Texas. A Mexican free-tailed bat named Bo, tells many different facts about the bats in Texas, such as when Mexican free-tailed bats come to Texas, how many kinds of bats can be found in Texas (32), what kind of animal a bat is (a mammal), how high bats can fly (up to two miles), and many other really cool facts. Each page also has a bat fact. Bats also like to eat mosquitoes and many other kinds of bugs, including moths and beetles. They are also important to people in other ways.

Some New Books for October

Librarian on the Roof!: A True Story
by M.G. King and illustrated by Stephen Gilpin

Librarian RoseAleta Laurell of the Dr. Eugene Clark Library in Lockhart, TX decided to campout for a week on the top of the library in order to raise money for the children’s department of the library. This is the story of her dedication. RoseAleta makes many changes to the library, and more people start coming to the library. She notices, though, that not many children are coming to the library. So RoseAleta decides that the children need a place of their own in the library filled with books and comfy chairs where they could read the books. In order to make those changes, the library would need $20,000 in donations. So RoseAleta decides to raise the money by staying on the roof until the money that the library needs is raised, and she is lifted up to the roof by the electric company’s truck on Monday. During the week, money was being raised, but they still had not reached $20,000 by Thursday. Thursday and Friday it began to storm, and RoseAleta stays on the roof instead of coming down. Will RoseAleta be safe on the roof during the storm? Will she be able to raise the $20,000 that she needs for the children’s department?

Jack Blank and the Imagine Nation
by Matt Myklusch

Jack has spent the last twelve years at St. Barnaby’s Home for the Hopeless, Abandoned, Forgotten, and Lost, and every year has been more boring and miserable for him than the last. Jack has no idea where he came from, who his parents were, or even what his last name is. So he calls himself Jack Blank. The other kids at school are always making fun of him, and this hurts Jack’s feelings. On this day, the other students are going to visit a prison, but Jack is not allowed to go because odd things happen to the bus when he is on it. Usually, the teachers make him stay and do chores all day, but on this day, Jack decides to hide instead and read his comic books. Soon he is found, though, and he is forced to burn his comic books in the incinerator. The bully, Rex, tells the teacher that Jack is always doing weird things, but neither the teacher, nor Jack, believe him. How could Jack being doing things like making the lights brighter or burning up a calculator without touching it? Then a Robo-Zombie like the one that Jack had read about in one of the comics comes after him. After Jack destroys the Robo-Zombie, Jazen Knight shows up to take Jack away from the home. Jazen Knight explains that Jack is really from a place called Imagine Nation, and that he is taking Jack back. Once they get to Imagine Nation, they look to see what secrets Jack’s DNA holds, but they soon find that he is infected with the Rüstov infection. Usually, people who have the infection are killed, but Jack does not appear to be sick. Jazen will not let them kill Jack. In fact, the people of Imagine Nation may need Jack and his abilities to save their world that is in danger from the Rüstov. Will Jack ever find out where he came for or who he is? Will he be the hero that Imagine Nation needs?

Miss Tutu’s Star
by Lesléa Newman and illustrated by Carey Armstrong-Ellis

Selena loves to dance, and she goes she twirls and prances. So her mother takes her to Miss Tutu’s Dance Academy. Selena has a hard time dancing like the teacher and the other children, but Miss Tutu tells her that she can dance with some hard work. Miss Tutu shows the children the different moves in ballet from arabesque to demi-plié. Selena and the other children make some mistakes, but they keep trying really hard. Selena also practices her dancing at home. After a couple of years of hard work, it is time for Selena to dance in front of an audience. She is really nervous, but Miss Tutu tells her to smile, relax, and just dance. Will Selena be able to dance in front of the audience? Will she make any mistakes?

Little Fox Goes to the End of the World
by Ann Tompert and illustrated by Laura J. Bryant

As she is chasing a butterfly one day, Little Fox is told by her mother not to wander too far from their den, or Little Fox might get lost. Little Fox tells her mother that she will travel to the end of the world one day. Her mother asks her about how she will get to the end of the world. Little Fox tells her mother that she will have to go through a deep forest, and that she will see bears and tigers. Her mother asks her if she will be scared, but Little Fox has some ideas on how to be safe around the bears and the tigers. Then Little Fox tells her mother that she will have to cross the mountains, the hot desert, and a river filled with crocodiles. Her mother asks her if she will be scared by doing these things, but Little Fox also has a plan to keep on traveling. What else does Little Fox think she will have to do to go to the end of the world? What does Little Fox plan to do when she gets to the end of the world?

Playing and Games

The Golly-Whopper Games
by Jody Feldman

Gil is determined to play in the Gollywhopper Games that the Golly Toy and Game Company have put on for their fiftieth anniversary. His parents have promised him that they will move somewhere else, because if he won the games, they would be able to afford to move. Gil’s father used to work for the company, but he was accused of stealing money from the company. He was found innocent of the crime, but that did not stop the people of the town and the other children in Gil’s school from treating them badly. Gil is tired of all of the bad treatment, but he has to make it into the games to get out of there. He spends a lot of time studying facts about the company and the toys, so he can win the games. He makes it into the games, and he makes it through the first part of the games with some help from his new friend, Bianca. Then he makes it into the final round of the games with nine other opponents, including Bianca. Will Gil be able to win the games and move out of the town? Will they ever know the truth of who really stole the money from the company?

Play With Us: 100 Games from Around the World
by Oriol Ripoll

This nonfiction book contains one hundred games that children play all over the world. There are some things needed to play these games, such as baleros, flat pebbles, chalk, dice, and a ball. There are also instructions for how to make things like cartetas. The games include the shoemaker (from Mexico), Nawa Kuji (from Japan), Teruchu (from India), and many more. Each game has the number of people needed to play it, what materials will be needed, and some simple instructions for how to play. There are also illustrations to help explain how to play. Many of the games may be hard to say, but they all look like a lot of fun.

Kids Like Us
by Carole Lexa Schaefer and illustrated by Pierr Morgan

It is raining outside and the children cannot go out to play. So they open a trunk and use toys, clothes, and their imaginations to play. When they see the school bus, they gather up chairs and take a bus ride. When they see a fire truck, they pretend to be fire fighters. Then the children pretend they are in a jungle with lots of different dinosaurs. The children come up with lots of different games to play and shows to put on. Even as the day ends and they get ready to walk home, they are still using their imaginations to play.

Ladybug Girl and Bumblebee Boy
by David Soman and Jacky Davis

Ladybug Girl ( or Lulu) cannot wait to get to her favorite playground, and her mother walks with her to the playground. On the way, Ladybug Girl helps Mrs. Robbins carry the groceries. The playground is full of children when Ladybug Girl and her mother get there, and Ladybug girl looks around for a friend to play with. She sees Sam from music class and asks him if he wants to play with her. Sam wants to play, but Ladybug Girl does not want to play “diggers” with him. Sam does not want to play “monkeys” with her. Sam also does not want to play castle or seesaw. Soon Sam and Lulu are mad at each other, because the other does not want to do what the other wants to. Lulu is thinking about playing by herself, but then she asks Sam if he wants to play Ladybug Girl with her. Ladybug Girl has super powers, and Sam wants to play, too. Sam calls himself Bumblebee Boy, and soon they are saving Lulu’s dog from a monster, flying up high on the swings, and attacking the “Mean Robot” tire swing. Then there are two other girls who want to play, too. So there is Ladybug Girl, Bumblebee Boy, Dragonfly Girl, and Butterfly Girl, and the “Bug Squad” goes to save the playground from the giant snake (the twisty slide).

Storytelling

The Storyteller
by Edward Myers

A grandfather asks his grandson if he would like to hear a story. The grandson wants to hear a story, but he wants to hear one that he had never heard before. So his grandfather tells him the story of Jack, an ordinary farmer’s son who becomes a storyteller. Jack lives on a farm with his parents and helps them out every day, but he also loves to tell stories. Stories come to him and he tells them to his family, and in tough times, the family gets by on Jack’s stories. Then one night when he is lost in the woods, Jack meets an old woman, Queen Celestina, who tells him not only her story but many others. When he is sixteen, Jack tells the story of a robber named Garth Golden-eye and his treasure. The people of the village find the treasure, and the people now call Jack, Jack Storyteller. Soon after that, Jack decides to go out into the world, travel, and tell his stories. On his journey, Jack meets Loquasto, a midnight mynah bird that decides to go with Jack after saving him from Garth Golden-eye. When they reach the capital city, Jack starts telling his stories. The people really enjoy them, but then guards show up and take Jack to the palace. The prince had stuffed a ruby up his nose, and only Jack’s stories could cause the prince to sneeze the ruby out. The king names him a member of the King’s Artists. Then one night the king requests a story that will make him happy. The story that Jack tells may not be that story, but the king needed to hear it anyway. He appoints Jack as the royal storyteller. Jack and the eldest princess, Stelinda, fall in love, and the king is happy that his daughter will be happy. Events do not happen quite like Jack expects, though. The king becomes ill and dies, and Princess Stelinda will soon become queen. Or will she? Will Jack be able to marry his princess and live happily ever after? Will he still get to tell the stories that he loves so much?

Silly & Sillier: Read-Aloud Tales from Around the World
told by Judy Sierra and illustrated by Valeri Gorbachev

This book is filled with tales that you can read aloud to your parents or your friends. The author has gathered the funniest stories from all over the world, and there are also tips on how you can add some acting, singing, or other ways of making the stories more entertaining for your audience. After the title of each story, it tells you where the story is from. Some of the stories include Silly and Sillier from England, Why Do Monkeys Live in Trees? from Ghana, Magical Mice from Japan, One Good Turn Deserves Another from Mexico, and many others. Hopefully, you and whoever you tell these tales to will find these stories as funny as the author does.

Once Upon a Baby Brother
by Sarah Sullivan and pictures by Tricia Tusa

Lizzie has always loved telling stories, from tall ones to sad ones. She tells stories to the people who work with her mother, her father on their hikes, and her dog, Big George. All of that changes when her brother, Marvin, is born. After that, every time she tries to tell a story, her mother and father are too busy with Marvin to listen. Big George still listens and enjoys her stories, though. In school, her teacher loves stories, and so Lizzie loves Miss Pennyroyal’s class. Marvin loves his big sister and tries to help her around the house, but mostly he ends up making messes. Lizzie likes to get away from him and go to school. One Friday, Marvin goes to stay with their grandmother, and Lizzie is very happy but soon notices that something is missing. In class, Miss Pennyroyal assigns everyone to write a comic book. Lizzie finds that she has no idea what to write about. She spends the whole weekend thinking, but she cannot come up with anything. Then she finds out that Marvin is home, and she finds a new idea to write about. Who do you think will Lizzie write about in her comic book?

Chester
by Melanie Watt or is it Chester?

In Melanie Watt’s story, a mouse lives in a house in the country, but Chester decides that he would rather tell his story than hear the story of the mouse. So Chester gets a red marker and adds things to the house to make it his, and he keeps trying to get the mouse to go away. When Melanie Watt continues trying to tell the mouse’s story, she has no luck. Chester keeps taking over and trying to tell his story, instead. So the author decides to write Chester’s story, but will Chester be happy with his story? How will he get even with Melanie Watt?