Bats - Shadows In The Night [Hardcover]

Diane Ackerman (Author), Merlin Tuttle (Photographer)

Book Description

Age Level: 9 and up

Best-selling author (A Natural History of the Senses) and naturalist Diane Ackerman takes a beguiling look at the complex world of the bat--one of the most varied and mysterious of animals.  Ackerman describes a visit, with distinguished photographer and bat expert Merlin Tuttle, to the Big Bend national park area of Texas where she observes the nightly emergence of over 20 million bats from Bracken Cave and helps track them for study.  In addition to conveying the experience of observing, handling, and studying bats firsthand, Ackerman relates information on a variety of bat species, as well as feeding and reproduction habits, the remarkable sonar they use to navigate and hunt, their migration and hibernation patterns, and their role in the ecosystems they inhabit.  More than 50 spectacular color photographs enliven this distinctive, informative, and accessible addition to the natural history shelf.  

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 5-8. Superb photographs are perfectly matched with an insightful, lyrical text as Ackerman recounts a personal trip to explore the bat diversity of Texas in company with Merlin Tuttle, the leading authority on these aerial flitterers. While much bat data is imparted on these glossy pages, it is the author's unique viewpoint that empowers the narrative. She sees bats as spending "their whole lives yelling at the world and each other" and describes a mass emergence as "a swarm of flying black peppercorns." Tuttle's marvelously detailed, full-color photos present an enormous variety of bats, from the tiniest bumblebee bat of the Southeast Asian rain forests to the more common little brown bat of urban parks and suburban backyards. Teamed with such titles as Laurence Pringle's Batman (Scribner, 1991) and Betsy Maestro's Bats (Scholastic, 1994), this book would make an excellent science/literature unit. However, this handsome title will be even more appreciated by readers who delight in fine writing, personal curiosity, and brilliant photography.?Patricia Manning, formerly at Eastchester Public Library, NY
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From the Inside Flap

Best-selling author (A Natural History of the Senses) and naturalist Diane Ackerman takes a beguiling look at the complex world of the bat--one of the most varied and mysterious of animals.  Ackerman describes a visit, with distinguished photographer and bat expert Merlin Tuttle, to the Big Bend national park area of Texas where she observes the nightly emergence of over 20 million bats from Bracken Cave and helps track them for study.  In addition to conveying the experience of observing, handling, and studying bats firsthand, Ackerman relates information on a variety of bat species, as well as feeding and reproduction habits, the remarkable sonar they use to navigate and hunt, their migration and hibernation patterns, and their role in the ecosystems they inhabit.  More than 50 spectacular color photographs enliven this distinctive, informative, and accessible addition to the natural history shelf.  

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Hardcover: 30 pages
• Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers (July 22, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0517709198
• ISBN-13: 978-0517709191
• Product Dimensions: 11.2 x 8.6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,224,975 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Diane Ackerman is the acclaimed author of "A Natural History of the Senses," the bestselling "The Zookeeper's Wife," "Dawn Light," and many other books. She lives in Ithaca, New York, and Palm Beach, Florida

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Breathtaking Bats!, October 30, 2008

By 

P. Callen - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Bats (Hardcover)

Why is this book out of print? It is marvelous! The writing is excellent and the photography superb. It should be required reading in every junior high biology class.