Kxan News Austin Texas

Kxan News Austin Texas

Kxan News Austin Texas

Posted on: January 03, 2012 - 1:58 am
by Admin

Salima Alikhan grew up listening to the stories read to her by her parents. Her favorites growing up were the dark tales of Hans Christian Anderson and the Grimm Brothers. She did the illustrations for the book, Rocky Mountain NIght Before Christmas for the Pelican Publishing Company. The Pied Piper of Austin is the first book she has written.

Storyline of the Book

There are bats flying everywhere in Austin, Texas. They are driving the people of Austin crazy. The people complain to the mayor who isn't sure what to do. One day a strange man appears who offers to help with the problem provided the people trust and pay him.

The man, or Piper as he becomes known, plays music on a silver pipe. The bats begin to emerge from all the places they have been. The Piper leads the bats to the Congress Avenue Bridge. The people are thrilled that the bats are gone.

The Piper comes to the mayor for payment. The mayor has other plans for the money and pretends he forgot he was supposed to pay the man. The Piper plays more music and leads the children of Austin into the mountains where they disappear.

One child is left behind because he has a broken leg. The child tells the grownups where the Piper has taken the children. The people of Austin offer triple to get their children back.

The Bats of the Congress Avenue Bridge

The bats in Austin are of the species Mexican free-tail. Over a million of them actually live under the Congress Avenue Bridge in Austin. People come to the area near the bridge each night at dusk to watch the bats fly out from under the bridge. Scientists estimate that the bats eat over twenty thousand pounds of insects every night. The best times to watch the bats are from March to November. The bats are an unique tourist attraction in Austin Texas.