Last Bat of the Night

By: David Gullan Illustrated by: Samantha Metcalfe

Follow Australia's bats as the colonies fly out on their nightly journey to feed, drink and pollinate.

'There it is! That's it! That's the last bat!'
'… Or could it be those ones?'
'Or this one, or that?' + Full description

As the stars come out for the night, a colony of bats passes overhead. Where are they going and what will they do on their nocturnal adventures?

Last Bat of the Night follows native Australian megabats as they glide across our skies to feed, drink and pollinate. Will you be the one to spot the last bat?

Reading level varies from child to child, but we recommend this book for ages 5 to 9.

- Short description

Reviews

"This beautiful book is a charming introduction to Australia’s bats for young readers. Last Bat of the Night encourages us all to pause and appreciate some of the incredible wildlife that we are so lucky to share our environment with."
Dr Pia Lentini, Senior Scientist, Wildlife Ecology, Arthur Rylah Institute for Environmental Research

Details

Hardback | August 2026 | $ 26.99
ISBN: 9781486318728 | 32 pages | 250 x 250 mm
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Colour illustrations

Features

Discover Australia’s native megabats, also known as fruit or nectar bats, including the Grey-headed, Black, Spectacled and Little Red Flying-foxes, Eastern Blossom Bat and Eastern Tube-nosed Bat.
Highlights the important role megabats have for pollination.
Engaging poetic text with captivating illustrations.
Encourages readers to help find the ‘last bat’.

Main story
Fruit bats
The bats in our story
How to play 'Last Bat'
Glossary

Authors

David Gullan is an educator and a writer who enjoys creating stories that introduce young learners to Australian wildlife. He hopes that his books will encourage children to look up, look down and then take another look as they walk through the natural world. He is also the author of the picture book Life in a Hollow.

Samantha Metcalfe is a natural history illustrator who finds inspiration in the unique biodiversity of the Australian bush. Working primarily in colour pencil, her realistic and detailed illustrations often focus on capturing Australia’s native flora and fauna. Samantha's previous books include Alight and The Voyage of Whale and Calf. She was shortlisted for the 2019 Children’s Book Council of Australia Award for New Illustrator.

For Teachers

We have created these Teacher Notes as a free PDF download to support the use of this book in the classroom.

Teacher Notes (683.26 KB)