Review of Batty Wings

Post by **Amanda Collier** » 01 Jul 2025, 16:01

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Batty Wings" by Marlene Rattigan.]

4 out of 5 stars

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Batty Wings, written by Marlene Rattigan and illustrated by Sergio Drumond, is a delightful children’s story.

Illustration can make or break a children’s story. This book has excellent illustrations. The colors are bright and vivid, stretching across both pages to tell the story within the pictures. The characters are real enough to be relatable and whimsical enough to give it a fanciful feel.

The story is really cute. A child is asking their Nanna about the loose skin under her arms. Nanna doesn’t miss a beat, explaining that they are her bat wings. The child asks if she turns into a bat at night, to which Nanna agrees. The story unfolds of all the things that Nanna gets up to at night while the child is sleeping.

This story takes an annoying adult situation and transforms it into a humorous children’s story. The real explanation of skin losing elasticity as we age would have been quite a boring story for a child. In true storyteller fashion, Nanna embellishes the story quite a bit. She tells a tale of flying through the home to keep an eye on things. She talks about seeing the cat with a rat that it had caught and chasing it outside. Once outside, she chats with her other batty wing friends.

One thing that I did not fully agree with in the book is Nanna’s explanation of the robber on the roof. Nanna tells the child that as she was flying around with her batty wings, she saw a robber on the roof. The police are searching for the robber. The child asks her if she was scared, and she says no, because she was not the robber. I feel like this is a bit of a missed opportunity. This frames the question in a way that suggests that the police are what Nanna should have been afraid of, not the robber. In the current state of the world, it would be better to illustrate that the police were there to help, so of course, there was nothing to be afraid of.

I would give this book 4 out of 5 stars. The illustrations are incredibly well done. The book was written and edited very well. The part with the police and the suggestion that the only reason Nanna wasn’t afraid was because she wasn’t the robber reduced the stars for this one, in my opinion. If that were handled just a bit differently, it would be a five-star children’s story.

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Batty Wings
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Post by **Kibet Hillary** » 04 Jul 2025, 13:34

The book sounds interesting, and the explanation for such a condition that occurs with aging also makes it more captivating for children. Nice observation on the lesson from the scene depicting the police and the robber. Thanks for the review, @Amanda Collier.

Onyemuwa-dave · Post by **Onyemuwa-dave** » 07 Jul 2025, 01:47

The concept of Nanna's "batty wings" sounds absolutely delightful and humorous, and your praise for the excellent, vivid illustrations really stands out. Your specific feedback regarding the robber on the roof scene is incredibly thoughtful for a children's book. Thanks for this beautiful review.

Spoorthy S · Post by **Spoorthy S** » 08 Jul 2025, 07:19

Onyemuwa-dave wrote: ↑07 Jul 2025, 01:47 The concept of Nanna's "batty wings" sounds absolutely delightful and humorous, and your praise for the excellent, vivid illustrations really stands out. Your specific feedback regarding the robber on the roof scene is incredibly thoughtful for a children's book. Thanks for this beautiful review.

Truly. I think the essence of the book is aptly captured. Thanks for the efforts.