title: Bats (Blastoff! Readers: Backyard Wildlife) (Blastoff Readers. Level 1)
author:  Kari Schuetz 
description: If your backyard is populated with as many creatures as there are volumes in the Backyard Wildlife series, its time to put the house on the market. Taken in smaller doses, though, these brief, colorful volumes continue to be a solid first step to helping the youngest readers make connections between what they see and what they dont. A quibble: the chapter headings listed in the table of contents do not appear on later pages. That aside, the left-hand text (one or two short sentences) and right-hand photos make the books easy to navigate and understand. As you might expect, Bats has nightmare potential, with its shots of the leathery beasts swarming by the thousands and trapping insects. And theres this: Vampire bats drink the blood of cows, horses, and other animals! Start here, animal fans, and then let deeper series guide budding interests. Grades K-2. --Daniel Kraus
zlib_text: 
  
  
  ![Image](../images/9781481491228.jpg)
  
  
  ![Image](../images/title.jpg)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ## CONTENTS
  
  
  [The Old Junk Shop](ch01.html)
  
  
  [Buzz Bombs](ch02.html)
  
  
  [Too Close for Comfort](ch03.html)
  
  
  [The Crow & the Pitcher](ch04.html)
  
  
  [The Rescuers](ch05.html)
  
  
  [Captain Jones](ch06.html)
  
  
  [An Unexpected Meal](ch07.html)
  
  
  [Button Bites Back](ch08.html)
  
  
  [A Brush with the Enemy](ch09.html)
  
  
  [Special Delivery](ch10.html)
  
  
  [Perfect Plans & Sausages](ch11.html)
  
  
  [About the Author](author.html)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ![Image](../images/f0iii-01.jpg)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ![Image](../images/f00iv-01.jpg)
  
  
  ![Image](../images/f000v-01.jpg)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ![Image](../images/f0viii-01.jpg)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ![Image](../images/f0001-01.jpg)
  
  
  At the end of the street is an old junk shop. It’s gloomy and shabby and
  nothing ever happens there. At least, that’s what most people think. . . .
  
  
  Among the odds and ends and things of no use, a dusty ship in a bottle sits
  gathering cobwebs on a shelf. But when the world isn’t watchin