Fat Bat and Swoop

by Leo Landry

Overview

A slightly spooky nighttime adventure for beginning readers

Fat Bat and Swoop the owl love to make mischief. When they fly through a clothesline and come out looking like ghosts, they know it's time for some fun. And Emily is the perfect target for their prank—she's quite a nice cow, except that she moos too much. But when their plan backfires, Fat Bat and Swoop find out that even very different people can become good friends.

Sweet, silly humor and just the right amount of spookiness make this a perfect chapter book for young readers.

"A funny tale for newly fledged Easy Reader graduates, with more dialogue than description and illustrated with lots of small cartoon figures in ink-and-wash rural scenes." - Kirkus Reviews

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781429937887
Publisher:	Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
Publication date:	10/01/2005
Sold by:	Macmillan
Format:	eBook
Pages:	64
File size:	2 MB
Age Range:	7 - 9 Years

About the Author

Leo Landry, the author/illustrator of The Snow Ghosts and Oh, Baby!, manages the Children's Book Shop in Brookline, Massachusetts. He lives with his family in Easton, Massachusetts.

LEO LANDRY is the author/illustrator of several books for children, including Fat Bat and Swoop and Sea Surprise. He lives with his family in Easton, Massachusetts.

Read an Excerpt

Fat Bat and Swoop

An Early Chapter Book

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By Leo Landry

Henry Holt and Company

Copyright © 2005 Leo Landry
All rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4299-3788-7

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CHAPTER 1

Snacktime

Fat Bat awoke in the dark of night. As usual, his stomach was rumbling.

"Yum!" he said. "Time for bugs!"

So Fat Bat flew off in search of a midnight snack by the light of the summer moon.

As Fat Bat flitted about filling his belly, his good pal Swoop came along. Swoop was an owl.

"Hello, Fat Bat," greeted Swoop. "Finished snacking yet?"

"Never," answered Fat Bat. "Why do you ask?"

"I am thinking that we could cause a little mischief tonight," offered the owl. "Stir up a little excitement. Bring some life to the dead of night."

"Is that wise?" asked Fat Bat.

"Of course it is," said Swoop. "I am an owl, remember?"

Fat Bat thought about this. "Then let's go," he said.

Fat Bat and Swoop flew off together into the night.

CHAPTER 2

Laundry

Fat Bat and Swoop glided over the sleeping farm. As they flapped their wings, they kept their eyes on the ground below.

They saw the pasture where Emily the cow lay sleeping. The neatly trimmed grass shone silver in the moonlight. They saw the Farmers' farmhouse, dark and silent in the night.

They also saw a field mouse chasing a cricket.

"Dinner!" Fat Bat and Swoop shouted.

They dove quickly toward their prey. Fat Bat focused on the cricket. Swoop swooped down on the field mouse.

They did not see the Farmer family's clothesline, neatly hung with freshly washed laundry.

THWOP! went Fat Bat.

THWOP! went Swoop.

Startled by the sound, the field mouse and the cricket quickly dashed to safety. Glancing backward, they saw an eerie sight. The Farmer family's clothes were flying!

(Continues...)

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Excerpted from Fat Bat and Swoop by Leo Landry. Copyright © 2005 Leo Landry. Excerpted by permission of Henry Holt and Company.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

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Table of Contents

Contents

Title Page,
1 - Snacktime,
2 - Laundry,
3 - A Spooky Idea,
4 - Ghosts,
5 - Boo Whooo,
6 - More Laundry,
7 - Scared Friends,
8 - Hmmm ...,
9 - Confessions,
10 - Three Friends,
Copyright Page,

Editorial Reviews

This is a fun, early reader book with chapters. Two nighttime animals, a bat, and an owl decide to make some mischief. They do not anticipate a run-in with a human clothesline but once they are enclosed in white shirts from the line, they realize they are much scarier. Their object is to scare the cow, sleeping peacefully in the field. Of course, the cow also has an opportunity to repay the fright. All three of the animals are able to talk through their experience and decide to be friends after all. The underlying story is a good lesson in treating everyone with respect and kindness instead of playing tricks and scaring people for no particular reason. 2005, Henry Holt & Company, Ages 5 to 8.
—Barbara Youngblood

Children's Literature

Gr 1-3-It's a wonder that anyone on the farm gets any sleep, what with a bat and an owl spending the night making mischief. Their run-in with a clothesline leads to some ghostly shenanigans with Emily the cow. After she gets even, the three animals decide to be friends. In this early chapter book, the plot moves forward with plenty of dialogue and just enough silliness. Simply told, with ample black-and-white illustrations, the story is excellent fare for newly independent readers.-Pat Leach, Lincoln City Libraries, NE Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

School Library Journal

A not-so-wise owl and his chubby buddy make both mischief and a new friend one night in this tale of "clothes" encounters. Inspired after a run-in with some laundry on a line, Fat Bat and Sweep impersonate a pair of ghosts-convincingly enough to send Emily the cow galloping off in terror. But turnabout, a little later they're temporarily terrified by the sight of Emily after she hooks a sheet off the same line. Apologies made and accepted, the three go off, wing in hoof in wing, to bother the chickens. A funny tale for newly fledged Easy Reader graduates, with more dialogue than description and illustrated with lots of small cartoon figures in ink-and-wash rural scenes. (Fiction. 7-9)

Kirkus Reviews