Bats Books

My fourth grade teacher read this book to the entire class eleven years ago. I still remember the title and how much I loved listening about a caring woman and her unexpected friend. There wasn't a single student in the class that didn't enjoy this book. If you're looking for a heartwarming tale of friendship with a very original plot, look no further.

This is the tale of how Amanda Lollar first rescued a bat found on the sidewalk outside of her furniture business. It's a journey that starts with this first rescue and continues to this very day. Amanda Lollar went on to found an orginazation called Bat World Sanctuary and to become one of the foremost bat rehabilitation experts in the world. Quite an accomplishment, and this tale of how it all started is a great read!

This little book revealed the true personalities and capabilities of one of the most misunderstood mammals on earth. I used to think bats were cute, like mice with wings, until I read The Bat In My Pocket several years ago. The author helps people understand that bats are gentle, intelligent, long-lived and highly beneficial, by telling the tale of the injured bat she rescued and befriended one summer day. The little bat, Sunshine, captured Amanda Lollar's heart and will do the same to yours.

This book really makes a person realize that bats -- for all the bad publicity and myths around them -- are really wonderful creatures with distinct personalities and a lot to offer. Amanda writes a warm story with great detail about bat behavior and her own personal growth. I like that she doesn't sugarcoat the problems she had and that it is apparent keeping bats (and all wildlife, really) is not only unwise (and probably illegal) for the normal person but a difficult and challenging task. If everyone read this book, there would be a lot better understanding of the important role bats play in the environment and why they should be appreciated rather than feared.

I have met Amanda and now consider her a friend. After reading her book, it made me realize how wonderful Amanda is, and inspired me to begin learning even more about bats. In this endeavor, I have began working as a wildlife rescuer and am learning the joys and heartaches of the rehabilitation of these wonderful, gentle, benevolent creatures God has gifted us with. I recommend this book to every teacher, parent, wildlife enthusiast, scout leader, youth minister, or anyone else who has the ability to change the stereotypical image that bats have!!!!

Tony Clark's BAT MASTERSON'S CREEDE takes us behind the scenes at this rough Colorado town as the days of the Old West are winding down. The characters we meet in the play are real, but they are anachronistic in that they are still living in a wild time that is passing. We meet Bat Masterson, of course, but the most interesting of the characters is Robert Ford, the man who shot Jesse James in the back--he is remembered in song as "That dirty little coward that shot Mr. Howard and laid pore Jesse in his grave." (James was using the pseudonym "Mr. Howard" when Ford killed him.) Ford lives out his life in this play and in the book as "the dirty little coward." Clark, who knows modern Creede and Creede in days of your makes the town live in this play.

Bat Masterson's Creede

By Tony Clark.

What happens to murderers in a lawless land?

"Fact is .....back shooting was considered a logical exploitation of a fortuitous opportunity."

Readers will be well entertained in this rollicking, thoughtful and well-crafted play. Full of colorful characters and authentic depiction of the gambling life in an Old West mining town, Tony Clark's historically accurate account of Bob Ford's death, the man who shot Jesse James in the back, is a worthwhile read for anyone interested the characters, literature and myths of the American West.

This lively play reveals the inner stories of several of the West's more flamboyant personages such as the infamous gambler Soapy Smith, and Dot Evans the manager of dancehall girls who loved Bob Ford. Bat Materson narrates and tells this tale set in the closing days of reckless time. Clark's archetypical western characters become real people with dreams, fortunes and misfortunes spent in the saloons of Creede, Colorado.

Tony Clark's imaginative recreation of Creed at the turn of the twentieth century is required reading for anyone interested in a vivid picture of the Old West and along with that self-determination and plain survival in hard times. Clark's blend of the characters, both men and women, and their places and concerns is centered in dramatic conflict and resolution. I read this play during an afternoon in the Big Bend National Park, a fitting atmosphere for the rugged world of Masterson and Ford. Tony Clark's skillful writing transported me from one mountain range to another. Once you start reading, Bat Masterson's Creed is hard to put down, a must for those interested in a realistic and dramatic portrayal of the life and times of the man who shot Jesse James.

Tony Clark does not embroider historical facts; instead, he sifts through myths and legends, speculation and fabrication, to discover what most probably happened in Creede, Colorado. He tells the story in the form of a play, one that teaches history while it entertains. Bat Masterson narrates, setting scenes in the bars frequented by various characters at different times in their lives. The play depicts the courage and strength of men who won the west, and the women who shared their lives and dared them to dream of better times. As a book to read, or a play to perform, Tony Clark's book presents a refreshing version of a silver mining town in the old west.

Tony Clark's new play is a delight to read. It gives insight into a fascinating period in American history and introduces realistically a number of colorful characters, including Bat Masterson, Soapy Smith, Bob Ford, and Poker Alice Ivers. It does an excellent job of bringing a much-mythologized era to life in a realistic way. It shows its characters as real human beings with human weaknesses that make them all the more attractive and interesting for the reader.

In addition, it contains photographs of many of the central characters as well as cover photographs of Bat Masterson and Creede, Colorado, as it was during the Masterson era. Its short preface helps place it in its historical context and clearly explains where fact ends and fiction begins.

Discord in Harmony is not only a well-researched vision of what life was like in a little coastal California town during the depression, but a mystery that is full of suspense and page-turning intrigue. Copeland's mysteries will keep you reading straight through.

I enjoyed Discord in Harmony very much. It was the kind of book I love--each time you have to put it down, you look forward to getting back to it and continuing the story. The characters were deep, the plot had twists, and the setting and historical background were compelling.

The saying "time flies when you're having fun" was meant for this book. Copeland has a way with words that makes it impossible to put this book down. Now that I'm finished, I'm ready to read it again! Buy this book for you...and all your friends!

The saying "time flies when you're having fun" was meant for this book. Copeland has a way with words that makes it impossible to put this book down. Now that I'm finished, I'm ready to read it again! Buy this book for you...and all your friends!

The Central Coast of California has long been a favorite vacation spot for my family. The sign, "HARMONY Population 18," would always draw a smile as we wound our way up Highway 1. Recently, we stopped and visited the quaint artist town. As I walked down the street I could not help but wonder what this town was like years ago when perhaps it was a bustling community.
Alicia Copeland has marvelously crafted just such a "wondering" with Discord in Harmony. She has authentically captured the feel of a simpler time and place while presenting to us characters that are complex and nuanced. The story revolves around a mystery, which begins with petty theft but then darkly evolves into scandal, cover-up and murder. And through swirl of conflicts, both internal and external, our little town of Harmony is thrown into discord; yet Cletus Haley, our protagonist remains true as a father, Sheriff, and as a man.
So convincing is Ms. Copeland's storytelling that I can well imagine myself visiting one of those old, abandoned cemeteries on the Central Coast and finding the graves of Cletus and Ruby. How did their lives unfolded after we had left them in Discord? I can only hope that a sequel to this excellent and highly recommended novel will assuage my curiosity.

It can't get any cuter than Baby Bat's Lullaby! A wonderful book with brilliant illustrations and a story to match. This is a great book that introduces children to these curious and intelligent creatures that are so very important to our ecosystem. You will want to buy more than one so you can share it with adults and children alike. I did!

Baby Bat doesn't want to nest down for the day, so Mother Bat must convince him that it's a good idea. To wear him out, she takes him on an exploratory flight, encountering many beautiful and curious sights.

With gorgeous illustrations and sweet verse, Baby Bat's Lullaby will capture young children's imaginations. The soft details open youngsters' eyes to the simple beauty of a misunderstood creature, while the rhythm soothes the day's anxieties away.

Truly a classic-to-be, I recommend this title to all parents with young children.

Reviewed by Christina Wantz Fixemer, whose daughter adores this book.
6/17/2006

I am a fan of Jacquelyn Mitchard and am surprised and DELIGHTED she is now writing childrens books! In her wonderful wordsmithing way, she takes us on a journey of mother and child...it was sweet, endearing, and coupled with the beautiful illustrations will become a classic, I'm sure.

Baby Bat shines with Jacquelyn Mitchard's lyrical descriptions and Julia Noonan's excellent illustrations. I love Mitchard's writing, but I never expected her to tackle bats! But this paean to Mother Love, with its lovely rhymes and luminous pictures of soaring bats, is going to win over both kids--and their parents.

Outstanding...sweet, lovable, soft and cuddly. Mitchard does it again with her rich mosaic of work and Noonan's illustrations. A MUST for every "trick or treater" this year...and what a treat it is. Keep 'em comin' Jacquelyn!

An unknown but funny and very well-written chapter in history. The bat bomb carried zillions of bats, each of which had an incendiary device tied to it. The goal was to burn down Japanese towns. During its first test, it accidentally burned down the building housing the project! Talk about just desserts. This will cure anyone who thinks history is boring.

This book contains the funniest line I have ever read, already quoted by another reviewer: "We got a sure thing like the bat bomb going...." But there is much more to this book. The writing is incredible. For example, the author describes what happens when they use movie lights to illuminate the inside of one cave for the first time in its history. The description of almost being suffocated by clouds of bats so thick is first rate. Also, the tender retelling of his romance with Arlie is top notch. Who would have expected such deft handling of first love in a book about bat bombs? It made me want more of this material. I also treasured the retelling of the tiger mascot, "Top Sarge." Or when our hero tries to beat the cowboys at their own game in calf-roping. I could go on and on. I think the key to the success of this book is how the author treats all the characters with upmost respect. There is nothing snarky about how the author treats the self-important Patsy, who was Capone's driver, or the guano salesman.

Read this book. You won't be disappointed.

Wonderfully humorous and hilarious factual account of one of the most bizarre "weapons" developed by the United States during WW-II.

I read this at about the same time I discovered Richard Rhodes' "The Making of the Atomic Bomb". The contrast between the seemingly insane bat bomb and the almost farcial nature of it's builder's quest contrasted wonderfully with the serious and dark tones of the Manhattan project. This book has parts that made me laugh out loud, which is something that few history books can do.

The story of prospecting the cave is priceless, and it gives me the heebie-jeebies just thinking about it...

BAT BOMB covers a quite unknown but important part of World War II history. It got good reviews, but the public seemed to neglect it (I don't know why). This book is not only an important history lesson, it is also a wildly entertaining read. Don't YOU neglect this book. Read it. You'll love it.

gave this book to my great nephew for christmas and he was surprised and very pleased

My four-year-old son loves this book, and I don't mind reading it twice a night for months on end. The story is vivid and lyrical, and the illustrations are beautiful.

The beautifully written story manages to combine a ton of information about bats with a cute little story, and the illustrations are the best! My little GIRLS love this story and make me read it over and over. It reads like a story but offers information like an encyclopedia.

i agree with the fact that it is a story that reads like an encyclopedia...my boys really like it and it's not so dry that i enjoy reading it again and again to them! beautiful pictures too! just right for my 6 & 4 year olds even when they were 4 & 2!

Nicola writes in such a spare and poetic style that she must capture the imagination of each child who reads it, or has it read to her. She offers facts about this bat breed as she weaves her story, and topped with delicate artwork, it's just perfect.

gave this book to my great nephew for christmas and he was surprised and very pleased

My four-year-old son loves this book, and I don't mind reading it twice a night for months on end. The story is vivid and lyrical, and the illustrations are beautiful.

The beautifully written story manages to combine a ton of information about bats with a cute little story, and the illustrations are the best! My little GIRLS love this story and make me read it over and over. It reads like a story but offers information like an encyclopedia.

i agree with the fact that it is a story that reads like an encyclopedia...my boys really like it and it's not so dry that i enjoy reading it again and again to them! beautiful pictures too! just right for my 6 & 4 year olds even when they were 4 & 2!

Nicola writes in such a spare and poetic style that she must capture the imagination of each child who reads it, or has it read to her. She offers facts about this bat breed as she weaves her story, and topped with delicate artwork, it's just perfect.

The poem is an old favorite. The illustrations fit the time of the work. My 5- and 3- year olds enjoyed it as well.

Casey at the Bat tells about mighty Casey and his missing 2 strikes - like messing up in life.

This is by far the best rendition/publication of this poem that I've ever seen. The combination of the real-life looking people, but have their legs look like pencils, is quite humerous. Our particular favorite is the smoke coming from Casey's ears when he has struck out twice. The pictures in this book greatly enhance the story. Especially when Casey is standing there examining his fingernails on the first strike. Pretty cute and funny stuff.

Grab this book for all the young ball players you know - it really tells a nice tale of always doing your best, no matter how good you get at whatever you do. It made my little guy pretty sad to read this book/poem, but it definitely opens the door to emphasizing the importance of always doing your best. Highly recommend!

Thayer's classic ballad, `Casey at the Bat,' is greatly enhanced by Patricia Polacco's brilliantly achieved, big-hearted illustrations. Ms. Polacco captures emotion, action, and character through wittily exaggerated, slightly loopy pictures, and through lots of uncrowded background shenanigans. It's very cinematic: She effectively isolates action through extreme close-ups, and extends time through a montage of events occurring within a single picture. Like the auteur she is, she even adds some opening and closing story elements (while leaving the poem intact) that augment the poem's appeal to the younger reader.

This book is simply great fun to read aloud; you'll find yourself wanting to memorize its evocative imagery and epic aspirations:

"Ten thousand eyes were on him as he rubbed his hands with dirt; Five thousand tongue applauded when he wiped them on his shirt. Then while the writhing pitcher ground the ball into his hip, Defiance flashed in Casey's eye, a sneer curled Casey's lip."

You and your youngsters will love the humor and the drama in this a classic rendition of Thayer's beloved poem. Infants and toddlers will enjoy the bright pictures, and all readers will appreciate the perfect teaming of Thayer and Polacco.

I thought this was a wonderful book. I enjoyed Thayers use of poetry to exrpress the emotion in the story. The language used in the text is of very high quality and when read by an adult to a child, the child is able to thourghly understand. The illustrations play an important role with the text. They not only enrich the text, but they tell a story in itself. We can feel the emotion of the players and the crowd through Polacco's work. Overall I thought this was a wonderful book and reccomend it to a child of any age.

I have twin girls, and this book helped my husband and me create a fabulous ceremony to welcome our daughters into the covenant. This book is great for anyone who is having a baby nameing outside of a Temple. Our guests loved the ceremony so much that they actually kept copies of the service.

This book was great for helping us plan our Bat Simcha. We purchased it even before our baby was born - before we knew the baby would be a girl. It provided many great ideas for creating either a Bat Simcha or a more personalized bris. We could not have planned such a meaningful ceremony without the help of this book.

I initially bought this book for friends with a newborn daughter. However, on the long flight home I began to read it for myself and was instantly taken in by the well-constructed and detailed case the author brings forth. The celebration of birth is a magnificent and unique experiece and should be shared by all in a special way regrdless of the child's gender. This book goes a long way to giving the reader many ideas that are delightful and inspiring without being 'new-agey'or 'preachy'. I highly recommend this read to anyone who has a baby daughter, baby boy, or no baby at all. This is an essential read for exploring modern ideas in traditional ceremony.

This is the best possible resource for parents of new baby girls who want to welcome them in a Jewish way. I found it extremely helpful. My wife and I felt somewhat confused, unsure of how to put a welcoming ceremony together for our new daughter, and this book took us through the process, step-by-step. It has an incredibly wide selection of readings, poems, blessings, prayers and songs from which to choose. Now we also give it as a baby gift to every new parent of baby girls we know.

The introduction opens with, "Mazal Tov, You've Had a Baby Girl!" Everybody is familiar with a bris, or brit milah circumcision ceremony -- and in current practice, a festive celebration, for healthy baby boys on their eighth day after birth. But what do you do when you have a daughter? What are they, chopped liver? Since the early 1970's, some Jewish parents have been celebrating their daughters in original ways (Ezrat Nashim published the first ceremonies in 1977, and the havurah and renewal movements wrote about theirs starting around 1973). Debra Nussbaum Cohen, a resident of Park Slope Brooklyn, and mother who has known the joy of birth and the pain of loss, has created this essential guide to new and traditional ceremonies with which to welcome your new daughter to the world, the covenant, and the Jewish people. It will be a welcome addition to your Jewish bookshelf and your life. Consider this: what you create today will be a "tradition" for your descendants! Cohen started collecting organic Simchat Bat ceremonies when she was pregnant with her first child. For your Simchat Bat ceremony and celebration, she includes readings, poems, specialized readings for adoptions, blessings, prayers (in Hebrew, English transliterations and translations), history, songs, and rituals. It is an inclusive book that has sample ceremonies also crafted for adherents to traditional Orthodoxy, traditional Sephardic rite, contemporary rites, contemporary Orthodox, humanism, and modren mikveh rites. Part One consists of about two dozen pages that introduce you to welcoming ceremonies and Jewish tradition, including the idea of covenant, brit milah, the custom of gomel, and that of a new father being called to the Torah to recite blessings, announce the birth, and pray for his wife's recovery. Part Two consists of about four dozen pages on seriously practical considerations for your ceremony. It includes chapters on how to involve your non-Jewish loved ones or spouse, if necessary (through acknowledgement and readings); what to do in cases of adoption and cross-cultural adoption (remember, Moses was an adopted child, and Mordechai was probably an adoptive parent); and gay and lesbian parenthood. Part Three focuses on planning the event, creating programs, sanctifying the space, and deciding when to have the Simchat Bat (eighth day, 30th day, etc.). Part Four contains over 150 pages of sample ceremonies, and hundreds of readings and elements from which you can pick and choose. It includes selections for welcoming, naming, prayers of thanksgiving, parental blessings, acrostics, psalms, readings for relatives and friends, blessings for wine and bread, and rituals for brit nerot (light), brit mikvah (immersion), brit rechitzah (footwashing/handwashing), brit tallit (enfolding her into the covenant), brit kehillah (community), brit melach, and brit havdalah (transitions). The book succeeds so well, one wishes all the babies were girls (or maybe some things can be borrowed for future boys).

I thought I was getting a paperback version of the original hardback book of cartoons. It is the same book but the paperback version is much smaller than the hardback.

The New Yorker has all these things, and the combination of cats and The New Yorker is a felicitious one. These witty, wonderful cartoons are just the thing to bring a sparkle to even the most glazed of eyes.

Two ladies sipping tea, a cat strolling past tail in the air. "Whe she was little," one says "we had a very close relationship, but now we're just friends."

And a hundred others. A book is not as good as a cat, but this one is halfway there.

Cats you say? Take a look at the cover. Take a good look. Nobody does it like THE NEW YORKER. 101 cartons and 65 years later, the cats still have the last laugh. High level stuff and highly recommended!

I rated this book based on the hardcover version, but I do want to put in a word against the miniature paperback version in the beginning. Avoid the miniature paperback: It is very tiny, reproduced poorly, the paper quality is not good, and some of the material cannot be seen without a magnifying glass.

The only drawback I saw to the hardcover version was the lack of a witty introduction. I graded it down one star for that lack. The New Yorker cartoon books on business and money have wonderful introductions, unlike this one.

In the spirit of full disclosure, I must admit that I do not have a cat. Yet I have many friends who do, and I tried to view these cartoons through their eyes.

The main cartoonists of these 102 cartoons are Charles Addams, Tom Cheney, Helen Hokinson, Frank Modell, Mischa Richter, Danny Shanahan, William Steig, and Saul Steinberg.

The cartoons generally follow one of the following styles: juxtaposing cats for dogs; anthropomorphizing cats; and treating humans like cats. These formats were predictable enough that the humor worked best when one of the categories was not followed, such as in a cartoon with no words where a cat is seen scratching against an arm chair while a man sits in it reading the newspaper -- chair, man, and newspaper all bear the same scratch marks everywhere.

Here are a few of my favorites:

A woman letting a large number of cats out of the back door: "Everyone be home by two o'clock."

No words: A man sits in a chair reading with his feet on a bear skin run. Behind him, a cat lies in a bed with a mouseskin rug on the floor in front.

A man receiving a call at work: "Your wife feels that your cat needs to hear an authoritative male voice."

One mouse to another: "Miss Egan, bring me everything we have on cats."

Dog to cat: "Hey, pal, let's hear 'Doggie in the Window' again, and this time play it like you mean it!"

Cat to cat in bow tie: "I'm sorry, but I think it's uncatlike."

Cat in casts to another cat in casts in vet's office: "I tried to make it from the windowsill to the top of the refrigerator. How about you?"

Cat behind loan officer desk in bank to dog: "Beg."

Man to cat: "The fact that you cats were considered sacred in ancient Egypt cuts no ice with me."

Person shouting through the window to a woman in a roomful of cats: "Glendora Hogan got another load of cats, Elinor honey. Can you take a couple?"

Let this good-natured look at one of our favorite animal friends liven up your day, and remind you of the humor behind everything. It's only our stalled thinking that denies us a good laugh at everything!

If you live with a cat, you'll want to read it before you give it to another feline lover; it makes a wonderful present.