October Bat Appreciation Month

Why are bats important to the environment?

• Pest Control. Bats aren’t just skilled at creating detailed acoustic maps of their surroundings; they’re also nature’s pest control. It’s estimated bats provide a natural pest control to reduce crop damage and the cost of pesticides by over $1 billion each year.
• Pollination. Many bats are fruit or nectar-eating bats, which means as they fly from plant to plant, they’re pollinating those plants too. Bats not only maintain a healthy biodiverse ecosystem but contribute to our food supply. 
• Seed Dispersal. When bats eat fruit, they in turn disperse the seeds further, adding to our ecosystem’s biodiversity and helping regenerate forests.
• Nutrient Cycling. In delicate cave ecosystems, bat scat, or guano, provides nutrients upon which other cave-dwelling creatures rely.

October is the ideal time in the school library to get to know bats because many Halloween stories feature bats and they make a fun display.

Nonfiction:

Fiction:

Faction:

More: Pinterest and Activity book 

4th October World Animal Day

 

World Animal Day is celebrated annually to

 •   Highlight the plight of endangered species, farm animals, and pets facing abuse or neglect.

Acknowledge that animals are living beings capable of feeling pain and emotion.
Encourage schools and communities to teach kindness and respect toward animals.
Inspire people to adopt rescue pets, support shelters, and choose cruelty-free products.




October 4th was chosen because it is the feast day of Saint Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of animals and ecology.The theme chosen this year by Zoe, from submissions in the UK, 'See the World Through Their Eyes' invites us to step beyond the human-centred view we often see from and consider how animals experience our changing world. To bring it to life, illustrator Emma Jayne Allsup has created a breathtaking design, inspired by the incredible Coral Triangle surrounding Papua New Guinea. It's one of the most biodiverse places on Earth, and the artwork reminds us what is at stake.Emma says "There is a huge amount of sea life to be found there. The coral reefs are some of  the planet’s richest and most important ecosystems, supporting around 25% of all marine life, in an area covering just 1% of the ocean floor.”

The region is home to:

• Around 3,000 species of fish – the greatest reef fish diversity in the world
• Approximately 600 types of reef-building coral
• 131 documented species of sharks and rays
• 6 of the 7 species of sea turtles

Yet these extraordinary ecosystems are under increasing threat. Rising global temperatures and human impact are causing coral bleaching, a process in which coral lose their symbiotic algae partners. When this happens, the ripple effects are devastating, impacting not just reefs but the countless species and communities that rely on them.

This is a day to celebrate all animals, but it might be fun to look at books that focus on animal eyes:

1st October World Postcard Day

The 1st of October is International Coffee Day; World Sake Day; World Vegetarian Day; Vegan Baking Day; Homemade Cookies Day; World Handmade Day; Pumpkin Spice Day; Willy Wonka Day; Cacao and Chocolate Day; Less Than Perfect Day; International Day of Older Persons; International Raccoon Appreciation Day; Model T Day; World Dyslexia Awareness Day; CD Player Day; Girlfriend Day and World Postcard Day! How do I know it is is World Postcard Day? Well I got a postcard from my friend at Momotimetoread! So special getting something in the post.

So many days to celebrate. Here's a picture book worth looking at for some of the days:

World Postcard Day

This book has the best postcards! Follow teacher,  Miss Lewis as she circumnavigates the globe aboard the ship Explorer and reports her experiences in photographs, sketches, and letters sent back to her students at home.

What bird or animals has been in each habitat and left its unique trace? From Antarctica to Kenya, China to Alaska, there are natural wonders to observe and logical clues to piece together. 

Homemade Cookies Day

Each ring of the doorbell brings more friends to share the delicious cookies Ma has just taken out of the oven.

International Raccoon Appreciation Day 

Ralph Raccoon looks perfectly normal. But he doesn't act normal at all. He's disturbingly well behaved, clean and tidy, shockingly polite, and he even brushes his teeth!  Mr. and Mrs. Raccoon are worried—how will Ralph ever become a great raccoon bandit like Grandpa Cutlass or Uncle Whiskers?  It's time Ralph learned some bad manners . . . at Bandit School.

World Vegetarian Day

Meet Herb, the dragon who prefers gardening to gobbling meat. When his vegetable-loving ways land him in the castle's dungeon, will he be able to stay true to his values? Packed with wacky visual details and quirky dialogue, Herb, the Vegetarian Dragon overturns your expectations again and again.

Cocoa and Chocolate Day

Mr Bunny is  running for mayor. Coop Town needs some urgent repairs-and Mr Bunny is promising to make it great again. At first, the chicken electorate is wowed by Mr Bunny's promises of new chocolate houses, new chocolate parks, new chocolate swimming pools-as well as his bold claim that chocolate will repel hungry foxes. But what will happen when the truth comes home to roost?

World Dyslexia Awareness Day

What if you really want to read a story to the end, but the words keep wiggling, jiggling, and jumping? If you’re the child in this book, you might get very frustrated! But as the child keeps looking at the letters, they have a realisation. And suddenly, they imagine a world where anything can be, a world where ideas are seeds to be sown, seeds that will bloom and grow. In ingenious illustrations, author Kate Rolfe visually conveys the experience of dyslexia or neurodivergence as a child invents a creative way to tackle a mountain of letters by using letter shapes to build a world of possibilities.

International Day of Older Persons

When you’re small, everybody bigger than you seems really old. But does being older have to mean being boring, or slow, or quiet? NO! Elina Ellis’ wonderful illustrations reveal that the age you are makes no difference to how amazing you can be.

World Handmade Day

How many things can you make in a day? A tower, a friend, a change? Rhyme, repetition, and a few seemingly straightforward questions engage young readers in a discussion about the many things we make and the ways we can make a difference in the world. 

International Coffee Day 

In Slothee Wants Coffee, Slothee travels from Costa Rica to Brazil, Colombia, Indonesia, Ethiopia, and Hawaii in search of the perfect cup of coffee. On the way, he meets new friends and learns about coffee and culture. Will Slothee find the best cup of coffee? Written by an 8-year-old and his mum.