TAB THE BAT

 

Illustration: Tab hanging from a branch, looking at the world upside down.

 

Spread 1

Tab was a bat.

He slept all day
and hung all night.

Tab wanted to be a comedian.

From where Tab hung,
the world looked funny.

 

Illustration: Upside-down world view.

 

Spread 2

At night, Tab told jokes
to the animals of the day.

They did not laugh.

Tab tried anyway.

“Why did the duck take a nap on the keyboard?”
he asked.

 

Spread 3

“So it could sleep-type!” said Tab.

The animals looked at Tab.

Tab looked at the animals.

No one laughed.

From where Tab hung,
that was a good joke.

 

Illustration: Serious animals look at each other.

 

Spread 4

“It’s raining cats and dogs,”
said Deer.

Tab looked up.

He waited.

He did not want
to get hit by a dog.

 

Illustration:  Tab opens umbrella, wearing helmet, waiting for animals to fall from sky.

 

Spread 5

“Hold your horses,”
said Fox.

Tab looked around.

“I do not see any horses,”
said Tab.

 

Illustration:  Tab trying to physically hold a bunch of running horses with his wings.

 

Spread 6

“I’m all ears,”
said Owl.

Tab counted.

“That is way too many ears,”
he said.

 

Illustration:  Owl with hundreds of ears, Tab counting and getting overwhelmed.

 

Spread 7

“Break a leg,”
said Squirrel.

Tab crossed his legs.

“I need more bandages,”
he said.

From where Tab hung,
daytime animals
said very strange things.

 

Illustration:  Tab horrified, trying to protect everyone’s legs with bandages.

 

Spread 8

Tab told jokes in spring.

He told jokes in summer.

He told jokes in fall.

No one laughed.

 

Illustration: Same tree through seasons.

 

Spread 9

By winter,
Tab was tired of telling jokes.

He hung quietly.

“Maybe

I am not

funny

to anyone,”
said Tab.

 

Illustration: Snow. Stillness. Quiet. Tab small. Big Tree.

 

Spread 10

Then, one day,
someone laughed.

Tab stopped hanging.

“Hello?” he said.

 

Spread 11

It was Groundhog.

Groundhog laughed
and laughed.

“That was a good one,”
he said.

 

Spread 12

“Where were you?”
asked Tab.

“Underground,”
said Groundhog.

“I am still here
even when no one sees me.”

 

Spread 13

“Oh” said Tab.

“I did not see you.”

“You were there,

the whole time?”

“I think I like that joke.”

 

Illustration:  Tab and Groundhog looking eye-to-eye, one hanging, one standing.

 

Spread 14

Groundhog stood on the ground.
Tab hung from the tree.

Tab told jokes

and Groundhog smiled.

They watched the world.

 

Spread 15

From where they were,
together was better than alone.

 

Illustration: Quiet. Simple. Warm.

 

Endpapers

Illustration idea:

• Tab upside down
• Groundhog underground
• Tree roots and branches mirror each other