MegabatBy Anna HumphreyIllustrated by Kass Reich
Daniel is feeling sad after moving to a new house in a new town and he misses his friends in Toronto. When he hears weird noises in his attic bedroom, he is a bit freaked out. Then he realizes that the noises are coming from a bat – Megabat – and Daniel doesn’t really know what to do. Megabat, it seems, is lost and also misses his friends from the land of Papaya Premium. In fact, Megabat weeps so much that he creates a large puddle on the bedroom floor – Daniel’s parents even think the roof is leaking!
The crying settles down once Daniel and Megabat get to know each other. Daniel deduces that Megabat is actually from Borneo and devises a plan to get him back there. Little does he know that he and Megabat will actually become good friends.
Daniel begins carrying Megabat in his pocket. He gives him his fill of fruits and juices, and they sit around watching Star Wars together. Megabat even begins brandishing a juice box straw like a lightsaber.
Megabat says adorable things like, “It is being an honor to meeting yours.” (p.69) He gets very excited over “smoosh fruits”, a.k.a. jelly rolls. (p. 68) He also seems to be falling in love with a pigeon called Birdgirl. Nevertheless, Daniel knows he needs to do his best to get Megabat home. With the help of his new neighbour and friend, Talia, Daniel hopes he can complete his mission.
Megabat is perfect for young readers who still need a few pictures in their chapter books. Highly recommended!