It’s a wonderful day when I get to help Kristin out with the story time programs. So, I just couldn’t resist coming downstairs for the Halloween party with the Rising Readers on Monday. As I was helping clean things up, one of our “library kids”, Layla, asked me “What is your favorite book in this whole library?” It took me a minute! I’m a librarian…I like to read. I could have named off a whole lot of books. But, I had a thought as I was chatting with her about what I like to read. “Bats at the Library by Brian Lies!” I exclaimed.
This was one of the first books that I fell in love with as a children’s librarian and storyteller. The pictures are grand, the prose poetic but very readable…it’s simply a whole lot of fun to read and even more fun to READ TO children. Brian Lies captures the amazing things that children can see and do at the library through bats who have snuck in through an open window after closing. They play with the water fountain, make photocopies, play shadow puppets on the wall and have story time. The older bats tell tales that they had learned from these books long ago and the younglings drift into pretending that they are the characters in the book. It’s a wonderful view of the public library.
The author has written a few other books including, Bats at the Ballgame, Bats at the Beach and Bats in the Band. They all show a unique view of these activities, after hours, through the eyes of bats. If you have come to any of my story times or classroom visits, you’ve probably heard me reading one of these books. I admit, bats became a bit of an obsession for me after finding this book. I have quite a collection of bat puppets, plastic figures and crafts. I was able to find a fantastic youtube series published by the Bat World Santuary ( batworld.org ) and I even have a bat wing headband and bat covered shirt (if anyone remembers me being “The Batty Librarian” one Halloween)
So, as we “flitter and fly” through Fall, remember that “for now we’ll dream of things we’ve read, a universe inside each head. Every evening, one and all will listen for that late-night call: Can it be true? Oh, can it be? Yes! Bat Night at the Library!”
Keep reading!
JeNel
