Little Red Bat

Red bats are the only bat species that can hibernate or migrate. Should this solitary little bat stay or should she go? That’s the question the little red bat ponders as the leaves fall and the nights get colder! Some animals, such as the squirrel, tell her to stay. But what about the dangerous creatures that hunt red bats in winter? The sparrow and others urge her to go. But where? Carole Gerber takes young readers on an educational journey through one bat’s seasonal dilemma in Little Red Bat. Imaginative illustrations by Christina Wald give little red bat charm and personality, and children will be waiting and wondering what will happen next. Will the little red bat stay put or migrate south for safety and warmth? The For Creative Minds educational section includes: Match the Bat Adaptation, Bat Fun Facts, How Animals Deal with Seasonal Changes, Red Bats and Seasonal Change, and Bat Life Cycle Sequencing Activity. Additional teaching activities and interactive quizzes are available at the Sylvan Dell Publishing website.

Carole Gerber has written over a hundred science and reading textbooks, a multicultural folktale series, several adult nonfiction books, two chapter books, and 14 picture books. Her recent picture book, Winter Trees, was selected as a 2009 Outstanding Trade Book by the National Science Teachers' Association and the Children's Book Council. Other awards include NSTA and Cooperative Children’s Book Center commendations for Leaf Jumpers, a CCBC commendation for Blizzard, and a Parent Council Award of Excellence for Hush! A Gaelic Lullaby. Carole is a member of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators and participates as an Artist in Schools through the Greater Columbus, Ohio, Arts Council. She is frequently invited to elementary schools as a visiting author. She and her husband, Mark, have been married for more than 30 years. They are the parents of two grown daughters, Paige and Jess, and two grandchildren, Sara and Tyler. Christina Wald has illustrated for a wide variety of toys, games, books, and magazines. From a book that featured hundreds of animals on each page (Look, Find, and Learn: Animals of the World) to games including the Star Wars role playing game series, every assignment covers something new and exciting. In recent years, she has illustrated tons (literally) of different animals for books and other publications. From herons to horses, she says that each new book is a fascinating new learning experience and the research is an integral part of the process of creating illustrations. For Little Red Bat, she visited a couple in Ft. Wayne, Indiana who rescue bats of many species. Luckily, they had a red bat family (a mother and three babies) that they were preparing to release back into the wild. She lives in Ohio with her husband and two geriatric cats. When not illustrating, she enjoys movies, travel, and reading.