Framed as simply phrased questions and answers in differently sized type, this interview with the world's smallest bat - at rest, about the size of a quarter, as a life-sized view on the final page attests - will fill in younger naturalists on its looks, diet, enemies ("Bumblebee Bat, what do you fear? "I am afraid of humans and birds") and habits. Generally wearing a fixed-looking smile and facing viewers directly, the interviewee flits across twilit, precisely detailed painted scenes, posing next to a bee and a mouse for scale, hunting and chowing down on a moth and then retiring to a sleeping cave with its "brothers and sisters." Rare enough to be officially endangered, these diminutive creatures get at least a mention in most of the general introduction to bats, but they're highlighted here with a distinctive charm that's likely to linger with children. Jill C. Wheeler's photo-illustrated Bumblebee Bats (2005) is aimed at a slightly older audience.

Meet the inch-long bumblebee bat, the smallest bat species in the world. Each left-hand page poses a question to a little bat, such as, "Bumblebee Bat, how do you see at night?" The bat answers, "I make a squeaky sound that bounces back from whatever it hits. I see by hearing." Beginning each question with the bat's memorable name heightens the pleasing sense of pattern in the text, which offers information that children can understand, but avoids overwhelming them with too many facts. Wynne, who illustrated Carolyn Arnold's Super Swimmers (2007), contributes an appealing set of pictures that complement the text. The large-scale artwork, appearing on right-hand pages, shows the bat flying, feeding, escaping form a predator, entering a cave, and finally sleeping. The bumblebee bat's tiny size is apparent only when it is shown next to a bee or a butterfly. Delicate ink drawings are brightened with watercolors and colored pencils. The last spread offers a little more information about bumblebee bats.

These excellent introductions to some exotic creatures present facts about the bumblebee bat and meerkat in question-and-answer format. Two pages of facts are included at the end, which add to the information for younger students. Lunde works for the American Museum of Natural History, which is also where Wynne works as an illustrator. Wynne's illustrations make these creatures even more intriguing. Although there are no photos of these creatures included, the illustrations give a good sense of proportion and anatomy. It is nice to see a few full-length titles to satisfy curious appetites that might see these species mentioned in other animal titles. Recommended.

I suspect that most people have an instinctive fear of bats. Horror movies certainly haven't helped their reputation among humans, but this book teaches youngsters about a particular species called the Bumblebee Bat<&mdash>so named because its only a bit larger than a bumble bee. The pictures of a smiling little bat character mean no nightmares will follow your child's introduction to this much-maligned mammal.

The night world and sleep are the focus of Hello, Bumblebee Bat, a perfect bedtime book for a very young reader. Written in a soothing question-and-answer chant, mammologist Darrin Lunde desbribes the habits and adaptations of the smallest variety of bat. The book has a quiet, contemplative feel, with nighttime illustrations of bats as they soar over grasses and roost in caves. The charm of these watercolor and ink drawings by scientific illustrator Patricia J. Wynne will appeal to readers of any age. The book offers an excellent introduction to the natural history of this animal, including the threat of habitat destruction by humans.