Bats!: Mysterious and Misunderstood Mammals

by Lydia Lukidis

Genres: Picture Books

32 pages, Hardcover

Published August 1, 2025

About the author

Lydia Lukidis is an award-winning author of 60+ trade and educational books for children. A science enthusiast from a young age, Lydia now incorporates her studies in science and her everlasting curiosity into her books. Her titles include UP, UP HIGH: The Secret Poetry of Earth's Atmosphere (Capstone, 2025), DANCING THROUGH SPACE: Dr. Mae Jemison Soars to New Heights (Albert Whitman, 2024), and DEEP, DEEP, DOWN: The Secret Underwater Poetry of the Mariana Trench (Capstone, 2023). She also continues writing fiction and humorous books, like her debut graphic novel series, GROUCHO THE GROUCHY GROUNDHOG (Andrews McMeel, 2025/6). She won numerous awards such as the Crystal Kite Award for the Canada and North America division, a Forest of Reading Silver Birch Express Honor, and multiple Cybils Award nominations.

Lydia is very involved in the kidlit community. She volunteers as a judge on Rate your Story, co-hosts the annual Fall Writing Frenzy competition, and is an active member of SCBWI, CANSCAIP, 12 x 12, and The Authors Guild. Another passion of hers is fostering a love for children’s literacy through the writing workshops she regularly offers in elementary schools across Quebec with the Culture in the Schools program.

Lydia is represented by literary agent Miranda Paul from Aevitas Creative Management. For more information, please visit www.lydialukidis.com.

Reviews

[Kelly Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a self proclaimed bat lover, this book was such a wonderful read! Even though there was a lot of basic information that is found in the majority of nonfiction bat books, the pictures were what set this book apart from the rest.

I can see this being a title that inspires a young person to pursue careers in preservation, ecology, and animal research/care/advocacy.

I also appreciated the echolocation experiment, and would love to try it with a group of students. The little snippet about bat myths was so interesting, and piqued my interest to research myths from other cultures.

I will definitely be ordering this for my school library!

[Mary Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bats! Mysterious and Misunderstood Mammals by Lydia Lukidis is an educational nonfiction book jam packed with fabulous bat facts that provides the reader a look into the lives of bats around the world.
The author, in an easy-to-understand style, masterfully explains species, habitat and behavior while clearing up common misconceptions about bats. Though written for an 8-11 year old target audience, a slightly older child may also find this book appealing based on the incredible photos that accompany the text. From cover to cover, we are given a glimpse into multiple species of bats of all sizes in full color action photos- bats hunting prey, bats in flight showing their impressive wing span, bats engaged in self care while grooming themselves, bats pollinating flowers. (who knew?)
Bat trivia, interesting tidbits about bats, diagrams and charts, an experiment to simulate echolocation and ideas for creating your own backyard bat sanctuary are all here. Comparisons between bats and other mammals or how they fit into our ecosystems round out this informative read.

I found that the writing was a little advanced for independent reading by the eight year old child with whom I shared this book, but he understood everything as it was read to him.
⭐⭐⭐⭐

[Shan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I absolutely adore bats, and I think that they are amazing creatures. The author of this book clearly feels the same way, and it shines through in their writing. The amount and range of information in this book was great, and no topic about bats in left untouched, which is great! Additionally, it was a very smart idea for the author to include a section at the end of the book that lists ways that readers can get involved in supporting the bat population. This broadens the book's reach, and leaves readers feeling inspired.
While I liked this book, I do have two notes to make. On page 12, I'm pretty sure the subtitle should be "Bats, Bats, Everywhere!", rather than "Bat, Bats, Everywhere!". My other critique is this book's "hook". I think that the writing could have had a bit more spice or personality to it, just so that readers (especially younger ones) maintain interest the whole time they read this book.
Overall, though, I'm happy to see a kids' book that's all about bats!

[Nicole D Fox · Rating 4 out of 5]

As someone who loves and knows a lot about bats, I enjoyed this book and thought it was a thorough introduction to the animals. I myself learned a lot of new and interesting things from this book, like how a Bulldog bat eats fish, or a Painted bat looks like a butterfly. I also enjoyed the mythology that was included about bats' origins. I also like that the book included how human influence can be harmful to bats and also how people can help. I didn't love the passive language around deforestation, though- "deforestation has occurred". It makes it sound like something that just happens.The images were great and the wording was straightforward and easy to understand. Some of the text was a little small, but that might have been because I was reading it on a phone. I would definitely use this book in a unit on bats.

[Margaux · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kids love interesting and unique animals - and bats are one of the most interesting species in the animal world! This book is filled with all kinds of facts about the creatures, from their lifestyle and sleeping habits to the physical attributes of the different types of bats. The pictures chosen show different kinds of bats in their habitats. I especially appreciated the part towards the end about what humans can do to help protect bats and the places where they live. The cover grabbed my attention, and the font/colors used throughout were very engaging and eye-catching. Any kids who are interested in animals and nonfiction will love this book and the fun educational content inside. Would make a great addition to any school library, class library, or home library.

4/5 stars!

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this book. It's very informative, complete with plenty of fun facts on each page, and the visuals/photos are quite cool. The book even compares bats with other animals, so there is a wonderful variety of information for readers. The sections on additional reading and possible safe science activities are nice, too, particularly due to the accessibility of information. It's not too complex for young readers, nor too basic for the acquisition of knowledge, which is a great balance. Great stuff.

Thank you to Capstone Press for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

My 9 year old really loves stories that have to do with animals. He loves bats as well. This fit perfectly for his age, in terms of content, imagery, and reading level. As a teacher it was a great resource for middle school students as well for a nonfiction dive. The pictures were excellent. The story was written at a level for a 9 year old to comprehend and read with assistance as well as just listen to. There was trivia, facts, creation ideas, and a cool experiment to complete as well. Great choice for young animal lovers, and especially bat lovers.

Thank you to the author and Capstone Press for the ARC.

[Ember Air · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love the idea of this book and what it aims to accomplish. Unfortunately, in the attempt to cover such a large category of animal in such a short book, a lot of the details and cool facts about bats were lost. There wasn’t really space/time for detailed information on any one type of bat and the generalities led to vagueness.
This would probably be a good book to introduce the idea of bats (so maybe for very small children), but be prepared to need other materials to answer questions and really get kids hooked on the awesomeness that are bats.

[Lila Danisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simple yet so educational!
My son loves bats. And this book gave so much information about bats, in a simple way. The pictures helped a lot too. My son prefers real photos in his books and this book provides real photos of bats according to what the chapter talked about.
Since COVID-19, bats have been pictured as bad animals. Yet through this book, we could open our eyes more about how bats give so many advantages to the earth and our lives.

Thank you to Lydia Lukidis, Capstone Press, and NetGalley for the ARC.

[Blaque Ace · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bats are misunderstood creatures and it was nice knowing why. I like the deconstructing of the myths and falsehoods surrounding bats. I also appreciated the mention of climate change and deforestation, even if it didn't go deep into what and who causes this things. It's still a lovely book and I can't wait to read more like it.

Thanks to Netgalley for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Critter · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC.

I loved this book. It has lots of great images. It is very engaging. I also think it would make a great way to get young readers interested in learning about bats. I have always loved bats and I hope this book gets another generation of people interested in bats.

[Robin Pelletier · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bats!!!! This book inspired me to buy a bat box on Amazon. Okay, I bought a bat hotel... that looks like a castle. This book is crammed with bat facts and tons of amazing pictures of bats. I didn't realize how good bats were for the environment... nor how big bat colonies can get. Super cool. Would highly recommend that kids and adults read this one.