Genre
Picture books for children
Stories in rhyme
Tone
Upbeat
Whimsical
Illustration
Cartoony
Theme
Let's dance

"Bats Around the Clock" has been one of the best books that I have read recently. I really enjoyed the plot that the author chose. It was very organized, helping to tell this great story. The story's based on a tv broadcast and begins with this quote, "The cameras were rolling-- it was live from coast to coast, a special twelve-hour program, and Click Dark was the host." As the story progressed Click Dark would continue to broadcast until finally at the end of the story the author wrote, "At last the show was over, the studio was closed, but tune us in again next year-- Click Dark will be the host." I felt that this line was a great conclusion to the story as it related back to the first page, again placing great emphasis on the plot the author wanted to convey. The second thing I really enjoyed about this story were the illustrations. I felt that every illustration fit the text on the page, and was able to enhance the readers overall knowledge. A great example of this is seen in every hour they wrote about in the book. A little clock was placed at the bottom of the page pointing to the time. "By ten P.M. those bats were groovin' in their boots." Next to this text was a drawing of a clock that showed ten p.m. This not only enhances the readers knowledge but also gives a great visual cue on how to tell time on a clock. Lastly, I really enjoyed the writing. It was not only engaging but also well organized following a counting pattern. "'At one o'clock Pacific time those bats began the shrug. At two o'clock Click Dark said, "Stop! It's time to Jitterbug!'" The story followed this writing pattern all the way until the clock struck twelve; it was great organization. All in all I felt that the 'big idea' of this story was to teach counting and how to read a clock in a fun way. The take away from this book was definitely educational with a great imaginative spin. ( )

I liked how they referred to actual rock and roll figures (Elvis Presley and Chubby Checkers). It was a fun book that did not have a message or anything profound to take away from it. Sometimes it is just nice to read a silly and goofy book. ( )

This book tells the story of a group of bats performing in a 12 hour dance special with host Click Dark. Each hour, the bats partake in a new dance move until the final hour when there is a special guest performance. (Rhyme)

Click Dark?! American Batstand?! Somewhere between corny and cute, this book is! ( )