The Bat-Poet

Written by Randall Jarrell · Illustrated by Maurice Sendak

A bat sees the world differently and tries to share his poetic vision.

4.3 Goodreads · 974 ratings

43 pages· 660L

$17.95Save 5%

In stock. Also at Amazon.

Bookroo's summary

A restless bat, unable to sleep like his peers, discovers a world of wonder and danger. As he crafts poems about his encounters with an owl, a mockingbird, and a supportive chipmunk, he struggles to make the other bats understand his unique perspective. Will his poetic voice bridge the gap between his vision and theirs, or will he remain misunderstood in a world of closed eyes? Dive into this whimsical fable where nature's creatures become muses and critics, challenging the bat to find his place among them.

From the publisher

There was once a little brown bat who couldn’t sleep days-he kept waking up and looking at the world. Before long he began to see things differently from the other bats, who from dawn to sunset never opened their eyes. The Bat-Poet is the story of how he tried to make the other bats see the world his way. Here in The Bat-Poet are the bat’s own poems and the bat’s own world: the owl who almost eats him; the mockingbird whose irritable genius almost overpowers him; the chipmunk who loves his poems, and the bats who can’t make beads or tails of them; the cardinals, blue jays, chickadees, and sparrows who fly in and out of Randall Jarrell’s funny, lovable, truthful fable.

At a glance