"How I love this beguiling and big-hearted book! Every child will root for Bat as he navigates the challenges that come with friendship and change, not to mention skunk parenting. A tender and important tale that belongs on every bookshelf." — Katherine Applegate, Newbery Medal-winning author of The One and Only Ivan
★ “This engaging and insightful story makes readers intimately aware of what Bat is thinking and how he perceives the events and people in his life. With empathy and humor, Arnold delves into Bat’s relationships with his divorced parents, older sister, teachers, and classmates.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“Brimming with quietly tender moments, subtle humor, and authentically rendered family dynamics, Arnold’s story, the first in a new series, offers a nonprescriptive and deeply heartfelt glimpse into the life of a boy on the autism spectrum.” — ALA Booklist
“Comfortably familiar and quietly groundbreaking, this introduction to Bat should charm readers, who will likely look forward to more opportunities to explore life from Bat’s particular point of view.” — Kirkus Reviews
“A Boy Called Bat will help children understand autism and that everybody loves animals.” — Temple Grandin, author of Animals In Translation
“Delightful, endearing, and utterly relatable, Bat Tam is destined to be a dear and necessary friend for young readers. I adore him and his story.” — Anne Ursu, author of The Real Boy
“A Boy Called Bat is sensitive, sweet, and super fun. I read this book with the biggest smile on my face.” — Corinne Duyvis, author of Otherbound
"How I love this beguiling and big-hearted book! Every child will root for Bat as he navigates the challenges that come with friendship and change, not to mention skunk parenting. A tender and important tale that belongs on every bookshelf."
Brimming with quietly tender moments, subtle humor, and authentically rendered family dynamics, Arnold’s story, the first in a new series, offers a nonprescriptive and deeply heartfelt glimpse into the life of a boy on the autism spectrum.
A Boy Called Bat is sensitive, sweet, and super fun. I read this book with the biggest smile on my face.
Delightful, endearing, and utterly relatable, Bat Tam is destined to be a dear and necessary friend for young readers. I adore him and his story.
A Boy Called Bat will help children understand autism and that everybody loves animals.
Brimming with quietly tender moments, subtle humor, and authentically rendered family dynamics, Arnold’s story, the first in a new series, offers a nonprescriptive and deeply heartfelt glimpse into the life of a boy on the autism spectrum.
Patrick Lawlor charmingly narrates this heartwarming story of Bixby Alexander Tam—otherwise known as Bat—an autistic third grader who bonds with an orphan skunk brought home by his mom, a veterinarian. Lawlor skillfully navigates the family dynamics, raising the pitch and speed of Bat’s voice to show his frustration when his sister eats the last vanilla yogurt, then slowing to a soothing calm as his mother explains why she’s late getting home. Lawlor captures Bat’s emotional range perfectly—from his raw enthusiasm at caring for a real animal to the affection he shows in his conversations with the skunk’s kit. The more Bat learns about skunk care, the less anxious his voice becomes, showing his maturity in dealing with this new situation. M.F.T. © AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine
2016-12-06
A third-grader becomes fascinated with an orphaned skunk kit and wages a campaign to convince his veterinarian mom that their family should care for the animal until it can be released to the wild. Bixby Alexander Tam is known as Bat. In many ways his experiences are quite ordinary. He squabbles with his older sister and navigates the complications of his parents' divorce. He doesn't always like following school rules, and he loves animals. Arnold's sensitive but matter-of-fact description of some of Bat's behaviors, however, make it clear that he isn't entirely neurotypical. When he's nervous he repeats certain actions, like sucking on his shirt or flapping his hands. His mom notes that he has difficulty with eye contact, and a prospective friend has to work hard to connect with him. These details, along with others about family members and his multicultural classmates, bring the characters to life and contribute to the lively and engaging plot. The decision not to use labels to classify any of the characters (except the skunk, which Bat notes belongs to the family Mephitidae) encourages all readers to enjoy and connect with the events and emotions that ring true for them. In Santoso's appealing illustrations, Bat and his sister share their dad's dark, straight hair; the whole family has fair skin. Comfortably familiar and quietly groundbreaking, this introduction to Bat should charm readers, who will likely look forward to more opportunities to explore life from Bat's particular point of view. (Fiction. 7-10)