17th April Bat Appreciation Day

Bat Conservation International (BCI) was founded in 1982 by a group of concerned scientists who recognised the importance of protecting bats. Bats contribute towards controlling pests, create rich fertiliser for landowners, and pollinate fruit and flowers. BCI aims to conserve bats and their habitats through a combination of education, conservation, and research. Human activities such as deforestation, mining, and irresponsible tourism have caused a substantial decrease in the bats’ population.

I have very mixed feelings about bats. There is a colony that live very close to where I live that certainly make a mess and lots of noise, but I'm sure that they were here long before people and houses because we have some very large Moreton Bay fig trees also in the area. Sadly, our council allowed one of these figs to be removed by a new home owner recently. 

One good thing about bats is that they make great book characters and being nocturnal and hanging upside down fascinates children. Any display of bats in the library is always a hit whether we do it for this date or more commonly at Halloween when we can decorate the library with lots of bats.

Amara and the Bats by Emma Reynolds would be a good book to start with because here is a Citizen Science-type story. Read the blurb:

Amara loves bats! Her favorite thing to do is to collect bat facts and watch the amazing mammals fly at night by her house. But when Amara moves to a new town, she learns that her beloved bats no longer roost nearby because so many trees are being cut down. 

Amara is upset. What can she do to help? She’s just one person, and the problem feels so much bigger than her. But after doing some research, she discovers that there are many young people making big changes all around the world. Inspired to take action, Amara gathers her new friends to help save the bats. Together, she knows they can make a difference! 

Often in bat stories the main bat character is young and afraid of the dark or flying which is the case in these:

• Scaredy Bat by Jonathan Meres and Anders Frank

• Fiona the Fruit Bat by Dan Riskin and Rachel Qiuqi

• Little Bat  by Tania Cox and Andrew McLean

• Nightsong  by Ari Berk and Loren Long

Or others are scared of bats as in 

• I'm Not Scary by Raahat Kaduji

Wanting information?

• The Bat  by Elise Gravel

• Bats by Elizabeth Carney

• The Bat Book by Charlotte Milner

Just for fun:

• Superbat  by Matt Carr

• Bats in the Library (plus other titles) by Brian Lies

• I Am Bat  by Morag Hood

• If I Had a Vampire Bat  by Gabby Dawnay and Alex Barrow

• Batty  by Sarah Dyer

And if all else fails...you can't go past

• Stellaluna by Janell Cannon