Little Bat / Up All Day

Clarion (formerly Houghton Mifflin Books for Children, $14.99
ISBN-13 978-0-358-26985-4

Little Bat has never stayed up all day before! How does the world look when he's normally asleep? This sweet, sunny picture book from New York Times bestselling and Caldecott Honor–winning Brian Lies is a charming story of new experiences and new friends.

Little Bat always goes to sleep at the end of the night. But what if he stayed up all day? He's excited to see how everything looks in the sun!

It turns out the world is a much different place during the day, when Little Bat is normally sleeping. It's hot, bright, and noisy. Luckily, Rusty the Squirrel is willing to show Little Bat around. But when these new, fast friends separate at the end of the day, how will they stay in touch when one is usually awake while the other is asleep?

With his signature gorgeous artwork, New York Times bestseller and Caldecott Honor winner Brian Lies brings his expressive bats back for the youngest readers.

Reviews:

Booklist July 2022. 32p. HMH, $14.99 (9780358269854). PreS–Gr. 1

Lies adds to his popular Little Bat series with this brand-new adventure. Little Bat wants to stay up all day to meet the animals that sleep all night. The first few daylight hours are difficult, as the bright sunshine and noisy bustle of activity make it hard for him to get his bearings. When a hawk soars overhead, Little Bat is saved by a squirrel named Rusty, who offers to help the little guy stay awake until sunset. Despite frequently falling asleep, Little Bat has fun with Rusty, playing shadow games, swimming in a fountain, and discovering an abandoned bird house, which they clean and decorate as a clubhouse. The new pals grow sad when they realize that it will be hard to stay friends since Rusty is diurnal and Little Bat is nocturnal. Will their friendship survive? It does! The pair discovers they can leave notes for one another in the clubhouse. Expressively illustrated in saturated acrylics, watercolors, and colored pencil, this simple friendship tale highlights the benefit of stepping out of one’s comfort zone.

-Rosie Camargo