290. Nightsong by Ari Berk

Nightsong by Ari Berk. Illustrated by Loren Long. (US) - (Canada) - (Kindle)

Pages: 48
Ages: 4+
Finished: Oct. 26, 2012
First Published: Sept. 25, 2012
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Genre: Picture book, bats, echolocation
Rating: 5/5



First sentence: "The sun had set, and the shadows clinging to the walls of the cave began to wake and whisper."

Publisher's Summary:  "A breathtaking picture book illustrated by mega-bestseller Loren Long, about a young bat setting off into the world using only his good sense!

Sense is the song you sing out into the world, 
and the song the world sings back to you. 

With these words, Chiro’s mother sends him off into the night for the first time alone. It’s an adventure, but how will he find his way? And how will he find his way home? As the young bat discovers, navigating the world around him is easy as long as he uses his good sense.

This beautiful and touching coming-of-age story, with mesmerizing artwork from New York Times bestselling illustrator Loren Long and lyrical text from Ari Berk, conveys a heartwarming and universal message: No matter how far away you go, you can always find your way home."


Acquired: Received a review copy from the publisher, Simon & Schuster Canada.

Reason for Reading: As strange as this sounds, I am terrified of bats in real life but I absolutely love anthropomorphic bats in books.

This is an absolutely gorgeously illustrated book about a little bat who goes out by himself for the first time using his "good sense" to see in the dark.  While the story is completely cute and fictional it also manages to convey exactly how echolocation works for bats.  The background of the pages are all black and textured, as if they represented the bat's hair.  The bats in the story are brown bats though and contrast well against the black background.  Fabulous, adorable illustrations!  Chiro, the little bat is so cute!  The story is a nature adventure as Chiro discovers his nighttime world and it is a story of a mother's love as she sends her son off on his own but is waiting for him with arms wide open when he returns.  Oversized, thick glossy pages, a quality book!