Before Jojo’s three-year-old twin brothers were born, the family barn was a bat maternity roost, a safe place where mother bats could give birth during the summer months. Since then, White Nose Syndrome has caused the bat population to dwindle. As this story opens, African American Jojo and her family are preparing for a “bat count.” Each year they observe the number of bats that fly from their barn at nightfall, hoping there will be more than the year before. To their delight, this year there are three: the mother bat has given birth to twins. The appearance of the bats mirrors the joy experienced by Jojo’s family when her brothers were born after years of Jojo’s mother wanting another child, inspiring hope that the new bat family (and bat population at large) will similarly prosper. More information about bats, as well as ways to help them, follow the story. (Ages 4-9)

 

Jojo is prepping for an exciting night; it’s time for the bat count! Bats have always been a welcome presence during the summers in the family barn. But over the years, the numbers have dwindled as many bats in the area caught white-nose syndrome. Jojo and her family count the bats and send the numbers to scientists who study bats, to see if the bat population can recover. On a summer evening, the family quietly makes their way to the lawn to watch the sky and count the visitors to their farm. 

This fictional story includes a 4-page For Creative Minds section in the back of the book and a 65-page cross-curricular Teaching Activity Guide online. Bat Count is vetted by experts and designed to encourage parental engagement. Its extensive back matter helps teachers with time-saving lesson ideas, provides extensions for science, math, and social studies units, and uses inquiry-based learning to help build critical thinking skills in young readers. The Spanish translation supports ELL and dual-language programs. The interactive ebook reads aloud in both English and Spanish with word highlighting and audio speed control to promote oral language skills, fluency, pronunciation, text engagement, and reading comprehension. Tap animals and other things that make noise to hear their sounds.