by Moe Zilla

Created on: February 04, 2009

A silvery moon shines on the ocean - and the bats are going to the beach. Brian Lies wrote and illustrated this book, which shows a dark, quiet neighborhood on its first page - then adds that "bats pour out with shrieks of laughter." There's two in the attic! And a smiling bat flies up with excited news.

"Quick, call out! Tell all you can reach: the night is just perfect for bats at the beach."

The illustrations are gorgeous, as the bats head into a rhyming romp. They carry baskets and umbrellas in their tiny feet as they fly through the night. They land and test the waters, and there's a reminder to wear "moon-tan lotion." The bats enjoy a sword fight with discarded straws and make a seasaw from a small plastic shovel. They bury each other in the sand. They build a pyramid of bats. And then they try surfing.

But it's not clear who this book is aimed at: fans of beaches, or fans of bats. Rhymes list out the insects that the bats will eat - though the salted mosquitoes are tucked away in handy picnic baskets. The author is clearly enjoying the chance to cross a few boundaries. (In one rhyme, the bats on the sandy beach also note that "We're scratchy where no sand should be.") The "snack bar" turns out to be a light bulb which is attracting lots of live insects - "for dessert." And one drawing shows the bats toasting marshmallows with grasshopper legs inside.

The premise is funny. Instead of flying a kite, they'll fly...another bat. But that's really all there is to this book. The bats play volleyball. They sing campfire songs. And they fly off before dawn. The sun rises over the beach in the last illustration, but there's one last surprise. Dangling from the lifeguard's chair is one forgotten bat.

The book's jacket says the author/illustrator enjoys "watching bats soar or summer evenings," and that he's donating some of the book's money to a charity called "Bat Conservation International." Fair enough - but I found myself wondering if this book really furthers the "bat acceptance" cause, or just exploits the squirm factor. That's my biggest problem with the book: its text. It seems like Brian Lies is a better illustrator than he is an author. There's no characters in the book, just a pack of playful bats. There's no personalities and no tension - and even the rhymes are a little irregular, with the rhythms suddenly interrupted by a stray syllable that shouldn't be there. Try reading the book out loud, and you're likely to stumble.

But this book was a New York Times best-seller, and the author should definitely get a "truth in advertising" award for his straightforward title. If you're looking for a children's book about bats at the beach - this is it.

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