"Sense is the song you sing out into the world, and the song the world sings back to you. Sing, and the world will answer. That is how you'll see."

A young bat is worried about their first solo trip out into the dark, to the pond to catch bugs for breakfast, and their mother consoles them and gives them the courage to make the journey.

The illustrations are appropriately dark, but the bat's powers of echolocation make a bright cone ahead of them, illuminating trees, geese, power lines, the pond, and more. The little bat is adorable, shown in a range of poses, sometimes small on the page and sometimes large. Rather surprised this did not get any Caldecott attention. ( )

Chiro is a bat and he is finally old enough to go out on his own. His mom always told his use your song and you will never be lost. Chiro goes on an adventure and even when he loses his way, but never loses hope. This book uses lyrical text and explains the science behind echolocation in a way that young students can understand. This would be a great book to pair with a science lesson. ( )

Chiro the bat is sent out into the nighttime world by his mother in this lovely picture-book examination of echolocation. Instructed to use his song to find the local pond and eating place, he sets out, hesitant at first and then more confident, as his song sends back information about the world around him. Once he has reached the pond and had his dinner, he even sets out to explore further, reaching the coast and flying out over the sea, before heading home once again...

Featuring an engaging story of a young bat finding his way in the world for the first time, Nightsong is a book which can be used to launch a discussion of how bats use echolocation, even though Ari Berk never uses that term in his poetic text. It pairs an exciting nighttime adventure with engrossing, appropriately dark illustrations, done in acrylic and graphite, from artist Loren Long. Recommended to all young animal lovers, and to anyone looking for picture-books about bats and/or echolocation. ( )

Chiro is a baby bat that learns how to fly. It doesn't lose hope when he looses his way back home. ( )

Summary: A momma bat decides that it is time for the baby bat to learn how to fly in the dark. So the little bat goes out to where his mom tells him and he goes and sees many things with his "song". After spending the night out exploring he then comes back home safe and sound. ( )