As my first time as an adult to reader of a children book, I greatly enjoyed this story by Jonathan Walter. The Bat Cave tells the story of little Jack, a young bat living with the family: mother father and George, Jack’s little brother. Jack, grown up enough, goes out with the father and learns how to live outside the cave, while the mother and little George stay home. Arthur — Jack and George’s dad — teach Jack how to hunt and prepares the son for a future in the wild and on its own, and Jack enjoys the experiences with the father. I believe children will find entertaining, and interesting the easy reading of this light story, where even the sad concept of death is addressed in a delicate way.
The Bat Cave by Jonathan Walter is an insightful illustrated tale for children about the feared and hated bats. It explains, though, that there’s no reason to feel that way about these perhaps ugly but harmless beasts. Specifically, this story is about Greater Horseshoe bats, an endangered species that lives in caves or dark, smelly and dump places typical of England and Wales. They eat dung beetles that live in cow poo. The story seems compelling for children, but I find interesting as an adult as well. The illustrations of the Italian artist Rosaria Costa are so evocative, and their quality reminds me of a children books about faerie I loaned from my favourite library, a perfect quality for a children book.
Reviewed for Readers' Favorite