FICTION

Good Night, Bat! Good Morning, Squirrel!

Good Night, Bat! Good Morning, Squirrel! illus. by Paul Meisel. 40p. Boyds Mills. Sept. 2016. Tr $16.95. ISBN 9781629794952.
COPY ISBN
PreS-Gr 2—Bat has lost his home. He politely states his dilemma while asking different animals if he can live with them—without success. That is, until he finally finds a perfect place in Squirrel's leafy house—unbeknownst to his host, who is still asleep when Bat arrives. When Squirrel wakes to find her unwelcome houseguest sleeping on a twig, she is not pleased. She asks him to leave in no uncertain terms. But as Bat is fast asleep, she decides to leave him a note "to be on the safe side." Squirrel's angry note orders the interloper to "bug off!," which Bat misinterprets to mean that Squirrel doesn't like bugs on her bed. Bat happily complies and piles his bugs in a corner, off Squirrel's bed, even leaving Squirrel a polite reply: "Sorry about the bugs! See you later! Bat." When Squirrel returns home to find her unwanted guest is still there, she is enraged and writes an even angrier note to Bat. A slew of hilarious mishaps and misunderstandings ensue. Readers will delight in guessing how sweet, clueless Bat will misread Squirrel's grumpy missives. However, the very last note will leave readers saying "Awww." The illustrations perfectly convey the feelings of Bat and Squirrel and reflect and enhance the overall tone of the story. This is an uplifting, giggle-inducing, winning read-aloud, ideal for any storytime.
VERDICT A fresh, funny, sweet offering in which friendship triumphs despite obvious outward differences. A must-have for any library.

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