Description

What is Baxter Saves The Day?

Baxter Saves The Day is a children’s picture book about a Townsend’s big-eared bat named Baxter who lives at Jewel Cave National Monument. When a wildfire threatens the cave and the forest around it, Baxter uses the hearing his mother taught him to sense the danger and warn the others. The story opens with Baxter’s mother explaining why big ears matter for a cave bat: “The better to hear the wind in the trees, the water in the stream, the moth on the wing, to sense any danger that may come and warn others of it.”

The book is by South Dakota author Pat Schultz. It is her first book, self published in March 2020. The story is rooted in a real bat. During a summer her child worked at Jewel Cave, a Townsend’s big-eared bat named Baxter was living in the park’s maintenance shed, and the author built the story around him.

What’s inside

• A picture book narrative, written for young readers, illustrated throughout
• Setting: Jewel Cave National Monument in the southern Black Hills of South Dakota
• Main character: Baxter, a Townsend’s big-eared bat
• Supporting content: short passages about bat hearing, why cave bats act as sentries, and what the cave environment is like
• Based on a real Townsend’s big-eared bat that lived at the park

Specifications

• Dimensions: 10.5″ x 7″
• Weight: 4.1 oz
• Binding: Paperback
• ISBN 13: 9780578648118
• ISBN 10: 0578648113
• Publisher: Patricia Schultz (self published)
• Publication date: March 15, 2020
• Author: Pat Schultz

Who is this for?

Young readers visiting Jewel Cave. If you are taking kids on a Scenic Tour or the Historic Lantern Tour, this is the book to read in the car on the way. It puts a specific animal (a Townsend’s big-eared bat, which is actually the bat species Jewel Cave is known for) in a specific place (the cave, the surrounding ponderosa pine forest) and gives kids something to look for during the visit.

Gift buyers. At under $20 this is a straightforward gift for a child in your life who loves animal stories, bats, or national parks. It also works as a souvenir for adults who want a take home from Jewel Cave that is not a mug or a magnet.

Bat lovers and regional story collectors. Townsend’s big-eared bats are a sensitive species (they are on state and federal watch lists in a number of places, and their roost sites are protected). A children’s book that makes a young reader root for one specific Townsend’s big-eared bat is the kind of thing that builds long term support for the species. Regional self published children’s books rooted in a specific park are also a small genre that some collectors follow.

About the author

Pat Schultz lived near Jewel Cave for many years. The story was inspired by a real Townsend’s big-eared bat, named Baxter, that took up residence in the park’s maintenance shed during a summer her child worked at the park. Baxter Saves The Day is her first book. She has also recorded a free video reading of the book that BHPFA links from the product page on YouTube, useful if you want to preview it before buying or use it as a bedtime read along.

Frequently asked questions

Is Baxter a real bat?
Yes. Baxter was a real Townsend’s big-eared bat that lived in the maintenance shed at Jewel Cave National Monument during a summer the author’s child worked at the park. The wildfire plot is a mythical story, but the title character, and his species, is accurate to the park.

What age is this book for?
It is a picture book with a short narrative and full page illustrations, best suited to early readers and read aloud audiences. Exact age range is not printed on the back cover. Ask us if you have a specific reader in mind and we can describe the reading level.

Are Townsend’s big-eared bats really at Jewel Cave?
Yes. Townsend’s big-eared bat (Corynorhinus townsendii) is one of the bat species documented at Jewel Cave National Monument, and it is a species of conservation concern in a number of western states. Jewel Cave protects roost habitat for cave dwelling bats, which is part of why many cave passages are off limits to visitors.

Where is Jewel Cave?
Jewel Cave National Monument is on US 16 between Custer, South Dakota and Newcastle, Wyoming, in the southern Black Hills. At 220 plus miles of surveyed passages (as of 2026) it is the third longest cave in the world, after Mammoth Cave in Kentucky and Sistema Sac Actun in Mexico. The park address is 11149 US 16 Building B12, Custer SD 57730. More at nps.gov/jeca.

Is there an audio or video reading?
Yes. The author has recorded a free video reading of Baxter Saves The Day on YouTube. The BHPFA product page links to the video. Useful if you want to preview the book or have it as a read along for a child who has already been to the cave.

Is this sold at Jewel Cave’s visitor center?
Yes. BHPFA operates the Jewel Cave National Monument park store, and Baxter Saves The Day is stocked there as well as online. If you are visiting, you can pick it up at the visitor center.

Does buying this support national parks?
Yes. BHPFA is the official nonprofit partner of Wind Cave National Park, Jewel Cave National Monument, Scotts Bluff National Monument, and Agate Fossil Beds National Monument, as well as the Black Hills National Forest and Nebraska National Forests & Grasslands. Proceeds from every purchase support education programs, conservation projects, and visitor services at these sites.

Is there a sequel?
Not to our knowledge. Baxter Saves The Day is Pat Schultz’s first book, and no follow up has been announced as of 2026. If that changes, we will stock it here.