Books About Bats for Kids: 43 Engaging Titles

Ready to explore the fascinating world of bats? From books about bats to hands-on bat activities for kids, there are endless ways to make learning all about bats exciting. As a classroom teacher turned school librarian, I’ve enjoyed matching books with kids for many years. Whether you’re building a homeschool bat unit, planning bat lessons, or looking for educational resources on bats, this list of bat books for kids is perfect for sparking curiosity. Favorites like Gail Gibbons bring bat facts for kids to life, while a well-rounded bat curriculum adds depth to any classroom or homeschool plan. If you’re wondering how to teach kids about bats, these ideas for bats activities, educational bat facts, and fun bats for kids resources are the perfect place to start!

Books About Bats for Toddlers

Toddlers love books that have rhythm, rhyme, bright illustrations, and playful repetition. Stories with gentle humor, animals, and interactive elements like sound effects or predictable patterns keep little ones engaged while helping build language skills.

Here are some engaging bat books for toddlers:

Bat Loves the Night: Read and Wonder by Nicola Davies: A beautifully written and illustrated nonfiction picture book that follows a bat’s nighttime journey, blending story with fascinating facts about bat behavior.

I’ll Love You Till the Bats Say Boo (I’ll Love You Till) by Kathryn Cristaldi: A sweet and silly Halloween-themed love story where a parent’s love shines through spooky fun, told with playful rhymes perfect for toddlers.

Trick or Treat, Bugs to Eat by Tracy C. Gold: A rhyming story about a bat who heads out on Halloween night—not for candy, but for tasty insects—making it both educational and fun.

It’s Raining Bats & Frogs by Rebecca Colby: A humorous twist on a stormy day when bats cause trouble at the Halloween parade, followed by frogs—and the fun chaos that ensues.

Books About Bats for Preschool

Preschoolers are drawn to books with engaging pictures, simple text, and fun facts or stories they can easily follow. They enjoy interactive elements like rhyme, repetition, or surprising details that spark curiosity while also learning about the world around them.

Here are some interesting bat books for preschoolers:

Bats Beneath the Bridge by Janet Nolan: A gentle, fact-filled story that follows a colony of bats roosting under a bridge, teaching children about bat habitats and behaviors in a way that feels like a story.

Bats (Blastoff! Beginners: Animals in My Yard) by Amy McDonald: An early nonfiction reader that introduces young children to bats with simple text and vivid photos, perfect for curious preschoolers.

A Cauldron of Bats by Michael Buxton: A playful counting book with bright illustrations where bats gather in groups, introducing numbers and collective nouns in a fun, Halloween-friendly way.

Bats (Spot: Backyard Animals) by Wendy Strobel Dieker: A beginner nonfiction title that highlights where bats live, what they eat, and how they help nature, with simple language suited to early learners.

Bats (Tadpole Books: My First Animal Books) by Natalie Deniston: An early reader that uses clear text and photos to teach children the basics about bats, including what they eat and where they live.

Books About Bats for Kindergarten

Kindergarteners enjoy books that mix fun storytelling with chances to learn new facts. They’re ready for slightly longer texts, engaging illustrations, and stories that spark curiosity about animals and the natural world. Books with patterns, repetition, or real-life connections help build both reading skills and knowledge.

Here are some fun and fact-filled bat books for kindergarteners:

Baby Bats (Starting Out) by Meg Greve: A simple nonfiction book that introduces young readers to baby bats, their growth, and how they learn to fly and survive.

Brown Bats (Blastoff! Readers Level 2: Animals of the Forest) by Patrick Perish: A focused look at brown bats, featuring facts about their habitat, diet, and behaviors, written for beginning readers.

Bat’s Moonlight Feast by Gordon McMillan: A storybook about a bat searching for food under the moonlight, blending gentle storytelling with facts about what bats eat.

Bats (My Favorite Animal) by Victoria Marcos: A nonfiction introduction to bats with fun facts and colorful images, making the animal world exciting for young learners.

Bats by Gail Gibbons: A richly illustrated nonfiction picture book that provides a thorough yet child-friendly overview of bat species, habits, and importance in nature. (New and updated edition!)

Books About Bats for 1st Grade

First graders enjoy books that balance fun with learning, giving them facts they can proudly share while also keeping the text simple enough to build confidence in reading. They like engaging visuals, interesting true stories, and themes that connect animals to the wider world, especially when paired with just a touch of humor or “wow” facts.

Here are some captivating bat books for first graders:

Brown Bats (Blastoff! Readers Level 2: The Ultimate Animal Library) by Janie Scheffer: An accessible nonfiction book about brown bats, covering their homes, diet, and role in the ecosystem with easy-to-read text and photos.

All About Bats (DK Readers Level 1) by Caryn Jenner: A leveled reader packed with photos and facts about bats, written in easy-to-read text that blends learning with engaging visuals.

Creepy but Cool Bats (Creepy But Cool) by Tracy Nelson Maurer: A lively nonfiction book that mixes fascinating and slightly spooky details about bats with fun, kid-friendly “cool factor” facts.

Bats (Animals That Make a Difference!) by Ashley Lee: A book highlighting how bats play important roles in nature, from eating pests to pollinating plants, helping kids see them as helpful animals.

Bats (Native Pollinators) by Roberta Baxter: A science-focused book that explains how certain bats act as pollinators, teaching young readers about their surprising importance in plant life.

Vampire Bats (Little Pebble: Mammals in the Wild) by Kathryn Clay: An early reader that introduces vampire bats, where they live, and how they survive, written with simple text for new readers.

Books About Bats for 2nd Grade

Second graders enjoy books that challenge their curiosity with deeper facts, fun trivia, and sometimes a touch of gross or surprising details. They’re ready for more complex sentences and concepts, especially when paired with bold visuals, question-and-answer formats, or real-world connections that make learning exciting.

Here are some fascinating bat books for second graders:

A Place for Bats (Place For…) by Melissa Stewart: A nonfiction picture book showing how bats survive in different habitats and how people can help protect them.

Why Do We Need Bats? (Pebble Explore: Nature We Need) by Laura K. Murray: A beginner science book explaining the important roles bats play in ecosystems, such as pollination and pest control.

Fun Facts About Bats (Dash! Leveled Readers Level 2: Animal Fun Facts) by Julie Murray: A leveled reader packed with kid-friendly bat trivia, perfect for independent reading and fact-sharing.

Bats (Focus Readers–Neighborhood Safari–Pioneer Level) by Martha London: A fact-driven nonfiction book with engaging photos and clear explanations about bat behavior, habitats, and species.

Do Vampire Bats Really Drink Blood? (Pebble Emerge: Questions and Answers About Animals) by Ellen Labrecque: A question-and-answer style book that clears up myths about vampire bats while giving kids fun and factual insights.

Vampire Bats Drink Blood! (Nature’s Grossest) by Bert Wilberforce: A lively nonfiction book highlighting the “gross but true” feeding habits of vampire bats, designed to grab kids’ attention with wild facts.

Books About Bats for 3rd Grade

Third graders enjoy books that dive deeper into science and nature while still being fun and engaging. They like interesting facts, longer explanations, and connections to the real world—especially when paired with strong visuals, diagrams, or exciting true stories that make them feel like “real experts.”

Here are some enthralling bat books for third graders:

Thank You, Bats (Animals We Can’t Live Without) by Marty Erickson: A nonfiction book showing how bats help people and nature by pollinating plants, spreading seeds, and controlling insects.

Bats (Tell Me More! Science) by Ruth Owen: A detailed science reader that answers kids’ questions about bats with fascinating facts, photos, and easy-to-understand explanations.

Bats (Animal Kingdom) by Julie Murray: A straightforward nonfiction text introducing different bat species, their characteristics, and their place in the animal kingdom.

Bats (Amazing Animals) by Kate Riggs: A high-interest book featuring bold photos and accessible facts that highlight what makes bats fascinating and unique among animals.

Bats at Night (Up All Night! Nocturnal Animals) by Kathleen A. Klatte: A nonfiction title exploring how bats thrive at night, with details about their senses, feeding, and survival.

Journey of the Bats (Massive Animal Migration) by Benjamin O. Samuelson: A nonfiction account of bat migrations, explaining why and how bats travel long distances in search of food and shelter.

Books About Bats for 4th Grade

Fourth graders enjoy books that let them dig deeper into topics with more detail, complex vocabulary, and engaging facts. They’re ready for books that challenge myths, present science in exciting ways, and encourage critical thinking while still keeping the text lively with photos, diagrams, or storytelling elements.

Here are some exciting bat books for fourth graders:

Bats!: Mysterious and Misunderstood Mammals by Lydia Lukidis: A nonfiction book that explores the fascinating world of bats, debunking myths and showing their vital role in ecosystems.

Vampire Bats (Unusual Mammals) by E. Melanie Watt: A fact-filled title focusing on vampire bats, their unique diet, and how they survive, while highlighting what makes them unusual among mammals.

Bats (Active Minds: Kids Ask About) by Roger Generazzo: A question-and-answer style book that tackles common curiosities and misconceptions about bats with clear explanations and facts.

What’s So Scary About Bats (Core Content Science: Earth’s Amazing Animals) by Joanne Mattern: A science-based book that addresses fears about bats, explaining why they are not scary but instead fascinating and helpful animals.

Bats (Bolt: Wild Animal Kingdom) by Gail Terp: An engaging nonfiction read filled with striking photos and fast facts about bat species, habits, and environments.

Bats!: The Only Flying Mammals (Grade 3–5 Animals for Kids): A general overview of bats written for upper elementary readers, explaining their unique ability to fly, their behaviors, and their importance in the natural world.

Books About Bats for 5th Grade

Fifth graders enjoy books that mix in-depth information with storytelling, giving them a balance of science, history, and discovery. They’re drawn to mysteries, real-world problems, and engaging visuals like diagrams or comic-style art. At this age, they appreciate books that challenge them to think critically and see animals—like bats—as essential parts of larger ecosystems.

Here are some attention-getting bat books for fourth graders:

Bats: The Dark-Winged Crusaders (Nature’s [Secret] Superheroes) by Stephanie Feldstein: A lively nonfiction book that presents bats as “superheroes,” highlighting their unique powers and the important roles they play in nature.

The Case of the Vanishing Little Brown Bats: A Scientific Mystery by Sandra Markle: A narrative nonfiction book that investigates white-nose syndrome, showing how scientists are working to solve the mystery of disappearing bats.

Bats (Pollinators) by Emma Bassier: A science-focused book exploring how bats act as pollinators, helping plants grow and ecosystems thrive.

We Need Bats (Focus Readers-The Animal Files–Navigator Level) by Christopher Forest: A fact-driven book that explains why bats are essential to people and nature, from pest control to seed spreading.

Bats: Learning to Fly (Science Comics) by Falynn Koch: A graphic novel that uses comic-style storytelling to teach readers about bat biology, history, and myths in a fun, visually engaging way.

Play Bat Bingo

Help students learn bat vocabulary terms by playing Baby Elephant Bingo. This free virtual bingo template may be played using Google Slides. This activity can be part of a nature study unit. Make your own copy, then replace the free images and words with bat images and vocabulary, then reuse the template as many times as you like.

It’s fully customizable when you make your own copy and includes a teacher page, too!

Get my free virtual bingo board!

More Resources for Readers

The best way to encourage a love of reading is to provide kids with many opportunities to engage with a wide variety of books that are of interest to them. At Book and Tech Tips I want to make it easy for you to find great books kids will love. Over the years I’ve also discovered some helpful tools for connecting kids, adults, and books.

Online digital libraries are one very handy way to do this. Epic! is one of our favorite online libraries. It’s full of over 25,000 books, learning videos, quizzes and more for kids 12 and under…and it’s free for educators. Click here to learn more and sign up.

Another great free digital library is ReadingIQ. It’s also free for educators and has a wide selection of titles.

If you download the free Libby app, you can access many digital audiobooks from your public library. Audiobooks are perfect for car trips!

Looking for a book that is out of print? Try searching Thriftbooks online. There are over 13 million titles available.

Looking for More Book Ideas?

If you enjoyed this list of bat books, you might like these book lists as well:

Have a wonderful week, and enjoy reading books about bats!

Lisa Mitchell is a former classroom teacher, now a school librarian, who likes to use her job as an excuse to stay up far too late reading books and noodling around with tech tools. To learn more about what this website has to offer, click on over to the About page.