Double Feature: A Boy Called Bat & Raymie Nightingale

**This originally appeared on a discussion board for my Children's Literature class**

Title: A Boy Called Bat

Author: Elana K. Arnold

Genre: juvenile lit, realistic fiction

I ordered all four books on this list for this week’s readings and fell in love with A Boy Called Bat after flipping through the book and seeing this illustration:

I’m a sucker for any kind of animal book so my heart just melted when I saw this drawing. It also brought back memories of when I visited the local pet store when I was about 6 or 7 years old; the pet store had some baby skunks for sale and I just thought they were so cute. Occasionally, my inner child wants a pet skunk, but I have to remind myself that “keeping a pet skunk as a pet is much more challenging than keeping a dog or cat. Skunks are not pets by nature” (Arnold, 2017, p.172), as Dr. Dragoo advises to Bat.

A Boy Called Bat falls under many literary categories and sub-categories. Not only is the book realistic fiction, but it’s also a part of the contemporary realistic realm since it is a “story that takes place in present time and portrays attitudes and mores of the present culture” (Short et al., 2014, p. 146). The events take place in the present (there are references to email and latptops) at Bat’s home, his school, his dad’s house, and his mom’s veterinary practice- all locations that are familiar to most children. Bat and his sister, Janie, are also part of what Short et al. refers to as an “alternative family”- their parents are divorced, and Bat and Janie spend Every-Other-Friday with their dad (a dad who doesn’t seem to keep up with Bat’s various quirks. For example, Dad calls Bat, Sport, even though Bat doesn’t play any sports, and Dad makes foods that cause texture issues for Bat).

While Bat is thrilled with the baby skunk his mom brought home and researches the best way he can convince his mom to keep Thor permanently, Bat must negotiate the everyday hurdles of schoolwork, sibling stress, and making new friends. While these are everyday occurrences for most children, Bat has a sensory disorder, or he might even be on the autism spectrum; the book never puts a label to Bat’s behavior which I think might be more relatable to young readers. Instead of spotlighting Bat’s disability, the book focuses on his love and care for Thor and Bat’s desire to make Thor a part of the family.

My recommended read-a-likes are Rain Reign by Ann M. Martin and Seven Days to Goodbye by Sheri S. Levy. The main character in Rain Reign, Rose, is a little girl with high-functioning autistism and is obsesses with homonyms (hence the title) and prime numbers. Rose lives with her father, who is neither the best or the worst father in the world, but he does not act kindly towards Rose's disability. The book starts off with Rose's daily struggles in school to contain her outbursts and her awkwardness in social situations. Luckily, Rose has Rain, her dog, and her Uncle Weldon to help her through life and her father's moods. Unfortunately, Rain becomes lost during a hurricane and it's weeks before she is reunited with Rose. At the reunion, Rose learns that Rain had a family before her and Rose takes the hard, brave and unselfish journey to find Rain's original family. Seven Days to Goodbye takes place during Trina's last week with Sydney as he must be returned to the service dog organization to find his fur-ever family and a child that will need his protection. While Trina is happy that she is going on a vacation to the beach with her family and her best friend, the thought of parting from Sydney makes her heart ache even though it's for a good cause.

For an additional yet informative dose of cuteness, here is a video about skunks created by Chris and Martin Kratt of the TV show, The Wild Kratts.

Citations:

Arnold, E. (2017). A boy called bat. New York: Walden Pond Press.

Levy, Sheri S. (2014). Seven days to goodbye. Vancouver, WA: Barking Rain Press.

Martin, Ann M. (2014). Rain reign. New York: Feiwel & Friends.

Short, K.G., Lynch-Brown, C., Tomlinson, C.M. (2014). Essentials of children’s literature (8^th ed.). Boston: Pearson.

Skunked! (n.d.). In Wild Kratts Wiki. Retrieve from http://wildkratts.wikia.com/wiki/Skunked!

Title: Raymie Nightingale

Author: Kate DiCamillo

Genre: juvenile lit, realistic fiction, takes place in Florida

As a native Floridian, the setting of Raymie Nightingale caught my attention; it is set in the fictional town of Lister, Florida, somewhere in the center of the state, during the summer of 1975. Due to its semi-serious tone, this book fits into the new realism subcategory of realistic fiction, a type of fiction that is “less lighthearted than their predecessors, but they are more truthful and real in portraying the actual lives of children” (Short et al., 2014, p.150). I would also classify this as juvenile regional fiction, since a lot of minor characters fit the “eccentric Southerner” or “eccentric small-town resident” trope (portrayed respectfully and with good humor by the author). Although there are some humorous interactions between Raymie, Beverly, and Louisiana, their antics and adventures are a mask for the serious issue each girl faces in her life: Raymie’s father unexpectedly deserted the family, Beverly’s mother is physically abusive, and Louisiana lives in poverty with her grandmother.

I would also classify this a coming-of-age story as well. At the beginning of the book, Raymie enters the Miss Central Florida Tire Pageant in the hopes that “her father would see her picture in the paper and come home” (DiCamillo, 2016, p. 7). After meeting Louisiana’s grandmother and visiting their home, Raymie comes to the realization that Louisiana is more deserving of the prize money, should she win the pageant (Louisiana and her grandmother had their electricity turned off and “feasted” on tuna sandwiches every night due to their money woes).

My read-a-like suggestions are Rocky Road by Rose Kent and Turtle in Paradise by Jennifer L. Holm

In Rocky Road, Tess Dobson's must deal with her mother’s whim to move to Schenectady, New York to open an ice cream shop in the middle of winter. Once Tess gets to Schenectady, she learns that her mother's risk-taking, sloppy spending, fast talking, and mood swings have a name: bipolar disorder.

Turtle in Paradise features Turtle (so named for her tough emotional exterior), a preteen sent to live with her aunt, uncle, and cousins in Key West in 1935. Turtle's mother never told her about her extended family, so she is surprised to learn she has so many cousins. Unfortunately, in her eyes, they are all boys. In this quiet gem of a book we get a glimpse of Key West during the Great Depression and before commercialism and tourism changed the Keys' way of life forever.

Since there was a side plot of Archie, the missing shelter cat, I would like to share with everyone that June is Adopt a Shelter Cat month! A few years ago, I created a themed library display that contained non-fiction and fiction books about cats, and the local animal shelter sent us flyers to add to the display as well. Of course, the cat lovers and children loved the display….

Citations:

DiCamillo, K. (2016). Raymie Nightingale. Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press.

Holm, J. L. (2010). Turtle in paradise. New York: Random House Books for Young Readers.

Kent, R. (2010). Rocky road. New York: Knopf Books for Young Readers.

Short, K.G., Lynch-Brown, C., Tomlinson, C.M. (2014). Essentials of children’s literature (8^th ed.). Boston: Pearson.