  | Full Text Reviews: School Library Journal - 08/01/2016 PreS-Gr 2—Bat has lost his home. He politely states his dilemma while asking different animals if he can live with them—without success. That is, until he finally finds a perfect place in Squirrel's leafy house—unbeknownst to his host, who is still asleep when Bat arrives. When Squirrel wakes to find her unwelcome houseguest sleeping on a twig, she is not pleased. She asks him to leave in no uncertain terms. But as Bat is fast asleep, she decides to leave him a note "to be on the safe side." Squirrel's angry note orders the interloper to "bug off!," which Bat misinterprets to mean that Squirrel doesn't like bugs on her bed. Bat happily complies and piles his bugs in a corner, off Squirrel's bed, even leaving Squirrel a polite reply: "Sorry about the bugs! See you later! Bat." When Squirrel returns home to find her unwanted guest is still there, she is enraged and writes an even angrier note to Bat. A slew of hilarious mishaps and misunderstandings ensue. Readers will delight in guessing how sweet, clueless Bat will misread Squirrel's grumpy missives. However, the very last note will leave readers saying "Awww." The illustrations perfectly convey the feelings of Bat and Squirrel and reflect and enhance the overall tone of the story. This is an uplifting, giggle-inducing, winning read-aloud, ideal for any storytime. VERDICT A fresh, funny, sweet offering in which friendship triumphs despite obvious outward differences. A must-have for any library.—Megan Kilgallen, Packer Collegiate Institute, Brooklyn, NY - Copyright 2016 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission. Booklist - 08/01/2016 Struggling to find a new place to live, Bat eventually chooses a leafy squirrel home in a tree. He doesn’t want to disturb sleeping Squirrel to ask permission, so Bat grabs onto a twig and dozes off. When Squirrel finds Bat in the morning, she’s not pleased. She can’t wake him, but she leaves a note: “Dear Bat, Bug off! Sincerely, Squirrel.” Mistaking her meaning, he writes an apology for leaving bugs on her bed. On different sleeping schedules, they continue to communicate solely through notes. After misinterpreting her words “Leave my house,” he spends hours adding leaves to the home. The comedy of errors concludes when they become friends. Digitally colored, the charcoal-and-litho-crayon illustrations portray settings and characters with rounded lines and earthy hues. Both pictures and text have an accessible, childlike tone, and the misunderstanding-based humor will resonate with kids who find the written word challenging to decode. A possible read-aloud for classroom units on animal homes as well as the nocturnal-diurnal concept. - Copyright 2016 Booklist. Loading...
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