Little Bat and the Fabulous Cave

Bohdana Jarosova studied at library school in Brno before continuing at Charles University in Prague, where she pursued but did not complete her degree due to her interest in journalism. She spent 17 years working for Lidove noviny and Mladá fronta DNES, primarily covering healthcare and economics. In January 2023, she became a literary editor at B4U Publishing, where she combines journalistic rigor with creative freedom in children’s non-fiction. She lives in Prague.Filip Hornik is an illustrator, graphic designer, and member of the Association of Illustrators (ASIL). He graduated from the School of Applied Arts in Kremnica and completed his doctoral studies at the Academy of Fine Arts and Design in Bratislava. Currently engaged in book and magazine illustration for children, he contributes to the Slovak magazines Bublina and Slniečko, in which he is a co-creator of the legendary character of Jožko Mrkvička. His illustrations have been part of many exhibitions around Europe. He lives and works in Smolenice, a small village under the mysterious Carpathian mountains.

"Gr 1-4–This inviting introduction to bats creates a fictional story about a young greater mouse-eared bat named Gary—referred to as “Little Bat”—from the moment he is born on a sunny morning inside his cave home. Through Little Bat’s experiences, readers learn how bats live, what they eat, and what they need to survive, while also gaining a rich understanding of the cave ecosystem itself. As the title suggests, the book devotes as much attention to the “fabulous cave” as it does to its winged inhabitants, presenting the underground habitat as a complex and interconnected world. Each spread combines clearly organized informational paragraphs with a heading, alongside speech bubbles from Little Bat and other bats that provide commentary and observations. This structure makes the nonfiction content approachable and engaging, even for younger readers. The text introduces a substantial amount of scientific information across the book’s concise 16 pages, including advanced vocabulary related to cave environments and bat biology, while remaining accessible with contextual support. Hornik’s detailed, vibrant illustrations enhance both understanding and appeal. Diagrams of bat wings, labeled drawings of cave-dwelling creatures, and visual explanations of cave features support the factual content, and Little Bat’s curiosity and emotional responses are clearly shown as he explores his world. The result is a dynamic balance between information and narrative that invites repeated reading. By framing the facts through Little Bat’s perspective, the book encourages empathy for a frequently misunderstood animal and sparks curiosity about nature and hidden habitats. The lively visuals and conversational tone make it well suited for read-alouds, classroom use, and independent exploration by emerging readers. VERDICT As attractive as it is informative, this engaging nonfiction title successfully blends science, storytelling, and visual clarity, making it an appealing addition to elementary collections." —Heidi Dechief, School Library Journal "Appealing to browsers, the This is My Place series brings young readers into an animal’s habitat and shows them the sights. With energetic illustrations and a chatty narrative, readers are welcomed into the title animal’s home. The left-side text provides information on the animal while the right-side text focuses on the habitat itself, other inhabitants, and interesting facts about its geographic characteristics. Little Bat and the Fabulous Cave introduces Little Bat, who “was born on a sunny morning but doesn’t know what the sun is!” Little Bat investigates the cave where it lives with thousands of other bats, catching bugs and flying past stalaktite, stalagmites, and a stalagnate using echolocation. Little Octopus and the Vast Ocean follows Little Octopus as it first hatches under its mother’s watchful eyes. Soon it is swimming around, finding food, exploring the ocean floor, and even coming across a shipwreck. A charming, creative nonfiction series unfortunately missing many nonfiction text features, making it most suitable as a read-aloud or a basic introduction to cave or ocean habitats." —Julie Goldschmied, Booklist