Its a wonderful guide, with a glossary, diagrams of skeletons, key, and great photos. I'd have given it 5 stars except that its dated. Perhaps there's a more recent edition than mine, which was written before the massive die-offs of bats from a fungus that is still out of control and spreading. As Tuttle explains, the bats keep many of our night flying insects under control as they eat their weight in mosquitoes. So, its a great introduction, but needs supplementing with the new information. I've been out with bat experts when they were catching them in the desert -- what a great way to spend a cool evening. ( )

I may be weird, but I've always thought bats were kinda cute. Not "ooh, I want one" cute, but they have big round eyes and soft fur and they squeak. So this is a good book for seeing the various bats that live in America (we definitely have them in Phoenix), finding out how they live and dispelling myths that make people so terrified of them. There are even instructions for how to build a "bat house" to draw them. The author is an authority and a founder of a bat conservation foundation, so the information is pretty thorough and interesting. If you aren't freaked out by bats. ( )

A quick read, short but very informative, with gorgeous photographs. ( )

Bats are wonderful, beneficial creatures who get a bad "rap" most of the time. This is a great book which talks about the reasons we should protect bats, rather than fear them, and offers ways to help them in our communities. ( )

A book well worth reading and owning. But then I'm a bat lover. ( )