Ding Bat and His Happy Flying Friends

Book excerpt: This story is about a fantasy bat family that has been given child like human personalities. It is an ideal book to use in starting story time with your children. The setting, built around the Congress Avenue Bridge in Austin, Texas, is the true home of the largest urban population of 1.5 million bats in the United States. The bridge, a well-known Austin tourist attraction, is an ideal setting to introduce the personalities of Ding Bat And His Happy Flying Friends. The book tells of the time from the bats arrival in April, giving birth in June, learning to fly and secure food in five weeks, preparing to migrate back to Mexico in November, and then returning to Austin the following April to start the cycle again. During their time spent in Austin, their life sustaining activity is of each eating about 1,000 mosquitoes an hour during their nighttime flights. The insect removal is an invaluable contribution to the city of Austin.