Bat lovers take note, Fiona the Fruit Bat by Dan Riskin and Rachel Qiugi is a fabulous story with a ton of great info about these adorable flying mammals.

It’s time for Fiona to fly off on her own but she is very scared. Mama keeps reminding her to just listen but it’s really hard. When Fiona thinks there is another bat in trouble, she opens her ears and really listens.

Dan Riskin’s debut picture book couldn’t have possibly been about any other topic but bats. An expert in the field, he has created an engaging story with just the right amount of non fiction information about bats. I really enjoyed how Fiona was having a hard time with separating from her Mama. It’s a common thing that all children go through at one time or another, separating from a parent or guardian. Mama and her friend Cassie all come and reassure her but don’t solve the problem, she needs to do it on her own. A perfect message to let readers know they are capable of doing hard things just like Fiona.

As mentioned, the story centres on Fiona listening and using echolocation to move about her world. There is some excellent back matter in the book all about echolocation as well as how little bats learn how to navigate their world. Dan also includes an experiment for readers to try and use echolocation for themselves. So much fun!

I really love how Fiona the Fruit Bat demystifies bats for young readers and makes them feel accessible and sweet instead of creepy and scary.

Rachel Qiugi’s illustrations are so, so sweet. There is a magical quality to them, especially when Fiona is trying to listen. I love that the illustrations are inviting and cute and also big enough to be seen when sharing the story as a read aloud.