This lyrical, sumptuous picture book reimagines the classic tale of a young one leaving its nest as a journey of not only independence but also of creativity.
Children first meet Chiro, the young bat hero, as he hangs with his mother from the ceiling of their cave, in a circle of twilight hues. On this night, Chiro's mother urges him to take his first solo flight, but he is afraid. It is "darker even than the water before dawn," and he worries that he will not find his way. "There are other ways to see," his mother assures him, "Use your good sense.... the song you sing out into the world, and the song the world sings back to you." She tells him to fly to their breakfast pond and home again. When "long arms rose up in front of him, waving slowly, blocking his path," Chiro remembers his mother's advice, and sings. His song functions as a kind of sonar headlight, revealing a path of color in the darkest corners of the woods.
The duration of Chiro's journey lasts from sundown to sunup, but he has passed a milestone. He knows he can go it alone. Berk shows readers that Chiro's mother has prepared him well, as the small bat recognizes guideposts along the way, and subtly demonstrates how a bat's sonar works. This lovely, lilting story makes an ideal book for sending a child to school for the first time, tryouts for a team or a class play. --Jennifer M. Brown, children's editor, Shelf Awareness