Bo the Mexican free-tailed bat is one of 100 million bats that live in Texas, and in this colorful picture book, he takes children on an exciting trip across the Lone Star State and educates readers with dozens of “bat facts.”

There are thirty-two different species of bats living in Texas and more than one million living under the Congress Avenue Bridge in Austin. Bo and his friends can be found all over, but most people will never see them up close. They love to hide, and caves are great places for that. In fact, the largest bat colony on earth can be found in Bracken Cave, near San Antonio. There are almost as many bats in that one cave as there are people in the entire state!

One in every four mammals is a bat, and bats help control mosquito populations. Bo explains echolocation and how it’s used to help bats hunt and fly, and he explores the great state of Texas from a unique bat’s eye view.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
J. Jaye Smith spent her childhood in Slidell, Louisiana, and found her passion in the creative arts while still in high school. She attended Belmont University and graduated cum laude with a bachelor of science degree in elementary education in 1993. Smith has worked as a vocalist and a music teacher for most of her life and is also an accomplished songwriter. She lives in Austin, Texas, with her family and spends her free time reading, dancing, and gardening.

ABOUT THE ILLUSTRATOR
Kathy Coates is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators and has been painting commission portraits since the early 1990s. She has an associate degree in applied science from Central Piedmont College in Charlotte, North Carolina.

BATTY ABOUT TEXAS
By J. Jaye Smith
Illustrated by Kathy Coates
32 pp. 8½ x 11
31 color illus.
ISBN: 1-58980-582-8
EAN: 978-1-58980-582-8