A review by emdoux
Nightsong by Ari Berk

5.0

I love this adorable story about a little bat whose night vision is not quite up to snuff. Chiro's mother tells him that it's alright that he can't see well in the dark - that he has other, better senses that can help him. The dark illustrations are wonderfully inviting, and the visual reproduction of Chiro's song (his best sense, echolocation) is wonderfully done and is a brilliant way of explaining this concept to young children. The spread with Chiro and his full belly is precious, as well as the following page as he goes off to explore further than his mother said he could. I really thought that this would end up being a story about Chiro ignoring his mother's warning and going too far past the pond, where his song would not be 'strong' enough to show him the way home, but Chiro's successful exploration & return home are a much stronger message. He knew his song was strong enough to explore further, and was rewarded that he was right. A wonderfully warm growing-up story. I could even see this stretching to a first-day-of-school / learning independence from Mom/Dad unit, to be honest.(less)