Jarrell broaches the problems of being different in a society of people who do not understand. For Jarrell, and for the bat in The Bat Poet, the misunderstood need only observe, record those observings, and communicate with others. The most important way for the bat to find happiness with his "differentness" is to learn to trust the truth of his own perception and to share this truth with others.

The little violence in the tale is connected with the terror of the owl. To the modem reader, the owl poses no real threat, nor does it to the bat in the story.

The only conflicts in the story are a social conflict between the bat and others, and the bat's inner conflict between his desires to be different and to be like everyone else. These are conflicts familiar to most young adults, and Jarrell's methods for...