Nightsong

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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.

Lexile Measure: 790L (What's this?)

Hardcover: 48 pages

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers; First Edition edition (September 25, 2012)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 1416978860

ISBN-13: 978-1416978862

Product Dimensions: 11 x 0.5 x 10 inches

Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)

Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (52 customer reviews)

Best Sellers Rank: #78,408 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #116 in Books > Children's Books > Animals > Mammals #319 in Books > Children's Books > Holidays & Celebrations > Halloween #2928 in Books > Children's Books > Growing Up & Facts of Life > Family Life

Age Range: 4 - 8 years

Grade Level: Preschool - 3

This is a cute little story about an adorable bat, Chiro, who's mother tells him it's time to go out by himself and find his own food. When Chiro expresses concern about being alone and not being able to see very well, his mother tells him, "Use your good sense... Sense is the song you sing out into the world, and the song the world sings back to you." I like this. As you might suspect, Chiro was frightened at first, but remembered his mother's words and everything went very well. The illustrations (mostly of Chiro) are absolutely enchanting.The part I take issue with is that Chiro's mother also told him to come home after eating breakfast and to not go past the pond "unless your song is sure." Well, after he gets full he sings his loudest and goes over the ocean for a bit and then decides to go home. My kids (5 and 4) were confused as to why he kept going past the pond when his mother told him to come home, and I had to explain about his "song being sure." That's fine... but there was no story development after that. The author has a very poetic style of writing and his description of the ocean song, so to speak, was lovely... but sort of anticlimactic. Chiro just wanted to explore, which is also just fine. Again, this spurred more questions from my kids, "Why didn't she want him to go past the pond? Is it dangerous out there?" Didn't seem to be. It was just his first time out by himself and she wanted him home soon. Kids are used to stories like "Peter Rabbit" where mothers have clear rules for clear reasons. But again... it's fine.It would be helpful for a child to have some understanding of bats and how they "see" prior to reading this story. National Geographic Kids has a great one about Bats. "Hello, Bumblebee Bat" by Darrin Lunde is also an excellent choice.

I had heard rumours about this book, that it was beautiful to look at and beautiful to read, but when at last it came into my hands I could not put it down. The story is precious and written with just the right flair; the illustrations are gorgeous and whimsical. If this is a children's book I am glad to be a child again, for it has brought me back to a sense of wonder I had too long ago put in that place adults sometimes do. Thank you Ari Berk and Loren Long. Thank you for brightening my day with your song of night.

Reason for Reading: As strange as this sounds, I am terrified of bats in real life but I absolutely love anthropomorphic bats in books.This is an absolutely gorgeously illustrated book about a little bat who goes out by himself for the first time using his "good sense" to see in the dark. While the story is completely cute and fictional it also manages to convey exactly how echolocation works for bats. The background of the pages are all black and textured, as if they represented the bat's hair. The bats in the story are brown bats though and contrast well against the black background. Fabulous, adorable illustrations! Chiro, the little bat is so cute! The story is a nature adventure as Chiro discovers his nighttime world and it is a story of a mother's love as she sends her son off on his own but is waiting for him with arms wide open when he returns. Oversized, thick glossy pages, a quality book!

Length: 6:05 Mins

I loved the artwork in this book. It was the coolest thing I have ever seen. I really wish that the artist, Loren Long, had prints of his work, because this is the kind of artwork that I want to display in my house.The artwork is mostly blacks and dark grays, because it all takes place at night. At first Chiro, the baby bat, can't see very much at all because he's seeing with his eyes. But then his mom teaches him how to use his sense, and the world opens up to him.And that's where it comes back to the artwork. I think it would be extremely hard to draw a whole book about the blackness of the night, and make it so it's just not a bunch of black pages. Long is adept with working with the blacks and dark grays and making the night come to life in what first looks very minimalist.Pros:+Awesome artwork+Great, touching, heartwarming story+Extremely high quality book+The bats are very cute, with adorable floppy earsCons:-A bunch of dark artwork might not be for everyone, but it was for me

My son, aged 3, looooves this book. He is very interested in bats, so our librarian recommended this gem in addition to some non-fiction titles. We checked it out so often that we ended buying a copy. I also adore this book. The language is stirring and evocative, and the illustrations are perfectly paired with the text. It's rare that a picture book is this lush and atmospheric without being creepy. It helps that the baby bat, Chiro, has a darling little pot belly.The premise/plot of the book, from which the title is derived, is this: Chiro (like chiro-ptera, get it?) is afraid to leave the cave on his own, because it's dark and he can't see well. His mother tells him to use his voice to "sing" out to the world, and the world will "sing" back. Sure enough, he is able to find his way by listening to the "songs" of the objects and animals in his flightpath, and he grows more confident. After finding all the bugs he can eat, he explores until night ends and it's time to return to the cave. The text never uses the term "echolocation", but the principle is clearly and beautifully described.This is a gorgeous book! My son and I discovered it shortly after he turned three, but I'd recommend it for any child who enjoys picture books. Also good for growing readers as there is a varied and moderately difficult vocabulary.

Nightsong