Bat and Rat

PreS-Gr 3—Best friends Rat and Bat live in the Hotel Midnight and make music together. The rodent's apartment is in the basement, and her flying friend's is in the attic. Between jam sessions and gigs, they spend their time eating ice cream (Gorgonzola Swirl, Mint Fly Chip) and searching for inspiration in a city that resembles New York. When Rat buys Bat a seven-scoop cone that mostly falls onto the pavement, a new song is born. This book's lesson—that we can create beauty from disappointments in life—is an uplifting one. Pencil and watercolor illustrations convey the sense of excitement in a nighttime cityscape with lush, glittery midnight-blue skies. The whimsical drawings are inventive, sometimes spanning two pages to show the dizzying height of buildings. Children will enjoy lingering over a cutaway view of four stories of the hotel. The clever artwork perfectly complements Jennings's sharp, funny wordplay ("My favorite singer? Rat King Cole"). Children will delight in this charming story about a musical duo searching for beauty in the most mundane moments. In this exuberant, effortless book, art is a powerful, redemptive force—even if it is created by a bat and rat.—Jess deCourcy Hinds, Bard H.S. Early College, Queens, NY