Beverley, Bat Your Service by Kelly Collier
Beverley the bat lives by himself in a big old house and dreams of having visitors.
Beverley the bat lives by himself in a big old house and dreams of having visitors. He’s read all the books on how to host guests and knows he is the “host with the most”. He’s stocked up on appetizers (grubs, anyone?) and toilet paper, and the house is a delightful mess, all set for visitors. One day, his dreams come true when a family of “people guests” comes to live in his house. But a bat’s idea of how to welcome his guests is not quite what people expect, and things do not go according to plan!
Both author and illustrator, Kelly Collier has created a delightful story of a sweet and friendly bat, and his terrified houseguests. The illustrations are bursting with a multitude of little details that will entertain and intrigue children. The story is packed with wonderful wordplay. I could only do her book justice by inviting two guests of my own to help review it: my 5- and 6-year-old grandsons. Let me say, it was a hit! After going back again and again, older brother reading to the younger, they spent the afternoon chirping “Appies anyone?” and giggling. I think that is all an author could want, a quotable book that bears repeat reading!
About the Author
Kelly Collier is the author and illustrator of the Steve the Horse series, The Imposter, and Beverley, Bat Your Service. She is also the illustrator of numerous books, including the Snail & Stump series, Sloth and Squirrel in a Pickle, and more. Kelly lives with her family in Toronto. Visit her on Instagram @IUsedtoBeanArtist.
About the Reviewer
Heather McBriarty is the author of the non-fiction account of the First World War, Somewhere in Flanders: Letters from the Front and a novel of the “Great War” Amid the Splintered Trees. She is a blogger, reviewer and served as a juror for the 2023 Atlantic Book Awards. She is a retired Medical Radiation Technologist, doting grandmother, and avid sailor. She lives by the sea in historic Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada.
Book Details
Publisher : Atheneum Books for Young Readers
Publication date : Aug. 26 2025
Language : English
Print length : 48 pages
ISBN-10 : 166596281X
ISBN-13 : 978-1665962810
Reading age : 4 - 8 years