Pekapeka, Secret Forest Bat product reviews

I have always believed that New Zealand is a fantastic place for children to grow up, just look at our beautiful scenery and our national creatures, believe it or not I had not realised that New Zealand actually has native bats! My three children are keen on most animals, and my middle child loves to find out facts to rattle off, no matter what the topic. When I was offered 'Pekapeka, Secret Forest Bat' to review I was keen to see if it was more storyline or whether it had some facts included.

The cover of the book is delightful, with the striking bat sitting in the centre of a bright moon with some stars sprinkled in the sky, the bat has some large ears to team with its huge wingspan, and a cute expression on its face. When my boys and I started to read the story, I was pleased to note that at the bottom of multiple pages there were some information facts about the bats, the fact I found most intriguing was that a communal bat roost could contain up to one thousand bats!! As we kept moving further through the book I was captivated by the beautiful illustrations that made the bats look real, the illustrator has done a wonderful job capturing the essence of the bats, their homes, and their everyday life.

The author has successfully managed to grab the reader's attention in numerous ways, including using many descriptive words throughout the book which helps to paint the picture in the readers minds, also introducing us to more New Zealand animals including Ruru (Morepork), grubs, weta, and those pesky rats and stoats. The story follows Pekapeka through the journey of finding something to eat while trying to avoid the predators of the forest. At the end of the book there is two pages filled with information about their background and some more interesting facts.

Overall, this was an enjoyable book to read, I think that it would be best suited for primary school age up to around 10 years of age, due to how easy the story is to follow along with, and the information that can capture the older kids. I rate this and would love to see more books in the future about some of our other native creatures.