Bats are among the world's most misunderstood animals. This Parents' Choice Award book gives readers an inside look at the earth's only flying mammals. Readers discover how bats can pluck insects from the air, fish from the water, and help giant trees and other tropical plants to reproduce, among other fascinating facts. Featuring stunning illustrations, this is a great introduction to an extraordinary mammal. "Youngsters will immediately be hooked by the opening text ('If you were a bat, you could stay up all night. You could hang by your thumbs, or hang upside down by your toenails') and a riveting illustration of a hanging bat, wings outspread, mouth open, showing tiny teeth." - Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books "Carefully crafted to overcome misconceptions and fears concerning bats, the text also provides basic information about the variety and habits of the flying mammals as well as their importance in the ecosystem. . . . One of the best of the many bat books." -Booklist * "Equal to the best introduction on the subject for this age level." - School Library Journal , starred review Laurence Pringle is the recipient of three major awards for his body of work--the Eva L. Gordon Award for Children's Science Literature, the Washington Post--Children's Book Guild Nonfiction Award, and a Lifetime Achievement Prize from the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He lives in West Nyack, New York. Meryl Henderson has illustrated most of the books in the Strange and Wonderful series. She lives in upstate New York.