Review: A Boy Called BAT by Elana K. Arnold, Illustrated by Charles Santoso

9780062445827

$16.99

For Bixby Alexander Tam (nicknamed Bat), life tends to be full of surprises—some of them good, some not so good. Today, though, is a good-surprise day. Bat’s mom, a veterinarian, has brought home a baby skunk, which she needs to take care of until she can hand him over to a wild-animal shelter.

But the minute Bat meets the kit, he knows they belong together. And he’s got one month to show his mom that a baby skunk might just make a pretty terrific pet.

Oh my goodness I am so in love with this little boy!

I had only had time to read the first few chapters when Logan asked for a new chapter book to read. Yes, he is only six, but he refuses to read anything other than chapter books now. I made an educated guess that he might identify with this sweet, sensitive boy raising a baby skunk, and handed it over. Despite the fact that AR puts this at a 4th grade reading level, Logan devoured it in three days, telling me all about it as he read.

Of course, I had to finish it as soon as he was done, and I found myself smiling and tearing up a bit the whole way through. Bat is somewhere on the autism spectrum, although that is never mentioned in the story. Logan is not, but he shares Bat's sensitivity, attention to detail, and sweetness. And his love of math problems!

I absolutely love the way Bat is portrayed, both through his own thoughts and through the comments and reactions of the people around him (many of whom I now also adore).

"It was too much to think about all at once, and his skin began to feel prickly and too tight."

"Bat knew that sometimes Janie thought he was weird. But he still didn't like to hear her say it out loud."

I want every child and adult to have an introduction like this to people with a different way of thinking and feeling. It's not a right way or a wrong way, it is just simply the way that person is. And the way Bat "is", is quite simply wonderful.

I just saw that this is the first in an expected series about Bat, and I am so excited to see more of him! Bat and the Waiting Game is due out in March.

*Note: As someone who has also raised skunks from bottle babies - with a toddler Logan watching - I was very pleased to see accurate information and sensible cautions in that respect!

Cybils Round-up #2

A few more Cybils nominees that have caught my attention:

9781939017697

$17.95

Albert had an AMAZING vacation in Maine, and he can't wait to tell his friends about it! One day, he went to the beach and saw a man eating -

SHARK?!

Um...no, a man eating a huge hot dog.

Albert has the admirable ability to appreciate the beauty in the ordinary. His friends are not so impressed, however, and his exciting account of his trip falls flat. This one made me immediately think of my middle guy, Logan who notices the cool tiny big in the big wide playground. Which made me immediately love Albert.


9781927485835
$18.95

A very sweet story with lovely illustrations, covering one of those bits of history that I think I knew about and then forgot.

"When World War II 'borrows' the men in seven-year-old Gerda's family, the German government gives them in return three French prisoners of war who must sleep in an outbuilding and work the farm. Gerda knows they are under orders to treat the men as enemies, but it doesn't seem fair."

While there are some tense moments when the family is caught being 'too friendly' to the prisoners, this is mainly a story of friendship and humanity, told through the eyes of a child, and gleaned from memories of the author's mother.  Absolutely beautiful.


9781481456562
$17.99

Ruthie has a problem at school. She keeps getting in trouble for being not-very-nice. But it's not her, it's the Snurtch! That darn Snurtch follows her everywhere, throwing tantrums, being noisy, and generally being rude. When she finally faces the Snurtch and starts talking about him, he doesn't disappear, but he does become a little more manageable. And, as we discover, everyone else has some sort of Snurtch following them around too! A fun way to tackle some bad behavior with very young children, and isn't that a satisfying name to call it? (Try it - say it out loud - nobody is listening!)