A breathtaking picture book by award-winning author Ari Berk, illustrated by mega-bestseller Loren Long, about a young bat setting off into the world using only his good sense! Sense is the song you sing out into the world, and the song the world sings back to you.      With these words, Chiro's mother sends him off into the night for the first time alone. It's an adventure, but how will he find his way? And how will he find his way home? As the young bat discovers, navigating the world around him is easy as long as he uses his good sense.      This beautiful and touching coming-of-age story, with mesmerizing artwork from New York Times bestselling illustrator Loren Long and lyrical text from Ari Berk, conveys a heartwarming and universal message: No matter how far away you go, you can always find your way home. In this gentle midnight allegory, a young bat is encouraged by his mother to strike out on his own into the wide world outside their cave. Little Chiro, far more adorable than your average bat, thanks to the puppy-dog face Long gives him, is worried about not being able to see in the dark, to which his mother offers the reassurance that there are other ways to see . . . Use your good sense. Kids up on their chiropteran knowledge will see where this is going: Chiro floats through intimidating black washes until he begins to sing, a ray of light emanating from his mouth that illuminates the path ahead as he flies past the woods, through a flock of geese, and to the pond, where he gobbles contentedly on tasty bugs. Paralleling good sense with both a song to light a path and with a bat’s echolocation might require kids to flex their conceptualization muscles a bit, but Long’s gorgeous artwork, in which the warmly hued bat flits through steep, rich darkness, goes a long way toward making this one a winner. Preschool-Grade 1. --Ian Chipman "Berk presents a delicate, lyrical story about independence, trusting one's instincts and abilities, and bats. Written in passionate prose-poetry...it's a brilliant description of echolocation and an equally strong metaphor for the logic and perception that human children can use to cut through fear."-- Publishers Weekly "Chiro is both alien and us, bat and beyond, childlike and knowing, a savant and anyone who grows into his/her song. This is what a picture book should be." -- Jane Yolen, bestselling author of How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight? "An ideal book for sending a child to school for the first time, tryouts for a team or a class play...[t]his lyrical, sumptuous picture book about a small bat taking his first solo night flight will inspire confidence in any child trying something new--and independently--for the first time." -- Shelf Awareness * "Exquisite design coupled with evocative illustrations enrich this charming tale of a little bat taking his first solo flight and how he learns to “see” with his “good sense,” otherwise known as echolocation.... Young ones will relate to Chiro and cheer as he gains confidence with his newfound skill and will be deeply satisfied flying along on his sensory-rich journey."-- Kirkus Reviews , starred review "There is nothing at all cute about bats, but don’t tell that to the talented Long...who has managed in the past to make even a tractor endearing.... Berk’s able storytelling enriches and elaborates...a message about making your way in the world. Even when you're completely in the dark." ( The New York Times Book Review ) "Ari Berk's (The Secret History of Mermaids) lyrical text and Loren Long's acrylic-and-graphite nightscapes re-imagine the classic tale of a young one leaving its nest as a journey of not only independence but also of creativity.... This lyrical, sumptuous picture book about a small bat taking his first solo night flight will inspire confidence in any child trying something new--and independently--for the first time." ( Shelf Talker ) ARI BERK is the author of The Secret History of Giants (NCTE Notable Award winner), William Shakespeare--His Life and Times (UK's SLA Children's Choice Award winner), and numerous other books for children and adults including The Runes of Elfland (with artist Brian Froud), The Secret History of Hobgoblins, The Secret History of Mermaids , Coyote Speaks , and most recently, Death Watch (Book One of The Undertaken Trilogy). When not writing, he moonlights as professor of mythology and folklore at Central Michigan University. He lives in Michigan with his wife and son. Visit him at ariberk.com. #1 New York Times Best Seller  LOREN LONG's  illustrations have received two gold medals from the Society of Illustrators and his first picture book, Angela Johnson's  I Dream of Trains , won the Society of Children's Books Writers and Illustrators Golden Kite Award for Illustrations and his inspired interpretation of Walt Whitman's  When I Heard Learn'd Astronomer  was a Golden Kite Honor. A much sought after editorial artist whose work has appeared in  Ti