Sally Sutton, New Zealand writer of the very popular children’s book ‘Roadworks’, has released this new title – a short chapter book (actually a series of diary entries instead of chapters), Diary of a Bat, detailing the year in the life of a curious, charming little bat.
I’m liking
‘Diary of a Bat’ utilises Sally Sutton’s characteristic style of onomatopoeia which makes for a very readable and entertaining tale – I’m sure it would sound great read out loud at bedtime. The story is engaging, and has enough hooks to keep kids entertained. I like the fact that there are bat facts intertwined in the tale – and I like the subject matter in general, as bats are one of our native fauna that don’t get as much attention as some others.
The story is creatively written – some pages the text is upside down, as if a hanging bat was reading it. The pictures are cute and the text is in small enough blocks that a reluctant reader would not find reading them burdensome at all.
Things that made me go hmmmm
Nothing in particular – it is a simple, lively story.
The conclusion
It is easy to see how this book would appeal to around the 7-10 year old bracket. In particular you may find success with this type of story even if your youngster doesn’t normally choose reading or being read to as their favourite passtime.
