Littlebat, who lives with his mother in the attic of the public library, loves to poke his head through a hole in the attic floor and listen to the librarian read stories to the children. One day, while listening to a story about a butterfly, he gets so excited by the picture in the book that he loses his grip. As he plummets into the room below, the children scream and the librarian shoos him away with her book. "Mama!" Littlebat cries as he zooms back to the safety of the attic.Littlebat's mother says he must not go close to a book again. "Never?" asks Littlebat. "Well...maybe there's a time when it can be done, " his mother says, relenting. "You must wait for changes." So Littlebat waits. The seasons slowly change, from spring to summer to fall. At last the nights are longer and cooler and the leaves have turned red and gold. Pumpkins appear. It's time!