Available:*
Library | Call Number | Status |
|---|---|---|
Searching... Hardwood Creek Library (Forest Lake) | EASY EMB | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... Park Grove Library (Cottage Grove) | PICTURE BOOK EMB | Searching... Unknown |
Bound With These Titles
On Order
Summary
Summary
While hard at work on her chores, an ant hears the wonderful clickety click chirrup of music coming from the distance. Although she knows she should focus on the task at hand, she can't help but explore the joyful noise!
Award-winning team Rebecca and Ed Emberley bring an entertaining new twist to the classic children's. The bright, bold graphics seem to dance and leap, as a bunch of boogying bugs start a celebration of their own.
Author Notes
REBECCA EMBERLEY and her father ED EMBERLEY, winner of the Caldecott Medal for Drummer Hoff , have created the highly praised picture books Ten Little Beasties , Chicken Little , The Red Hen for Roaring Brook Press. Both live in New England--Ed in Massachusetts and Rebecca in Maine.
Reviews (4)
School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 2-The ant is hard at work when she hears the lively music of the grasshopper and his bug band. The music heartens her and gives her the energy to toil on. Upon meeting the grasshopper, she's enchanted by his tuneful ways and invites him and his fellow musicians into the ant colony so their music can bring joy to everyone. This story by Rebecca Emberley and Ed Emberley (Roaring Brook, 2012) turns Aesop's fable on its ear and celebrates the joy of community and music. Emberley's vivid collage illustrations lend themselves perfectly to animation, and the exuberant jazz music takes listeners straight to New Orleans. The DVD also contains a read-along option, but it covers large portions of the illustrations, even if only briefly. Stick with the regular viewing mode and enjoy a story that is vibrant both in word and picture.-Teresa Bateman, Brigadoon Elementary, Federal Way, WA (c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
While maintaining the archetypes of the hardworking ant and laid-back grasshopper, the Emberleys transform Aesop's fable about preparedness into a joyful celebration of community and music with a Cajun flair. "Somewhere on the boulevard of backyards an ant was struggling with the remnants of a picnic," opens the story, as the determined insect transports a slice of watermelon back to her colony. Weary from her labors, she is energized by a performance from grasshopper "and his buggy band making music with complete abandon." When the ant declines the grasshopper's offer to "put down that big sticky thing and come groove with us," they take their show on the road, culminating with an underground party at the ant colony that all the insects can enjoy. The Emberleys' characteristically bold cut-paper artwork is as dominant and kinetic as ever, but the loose, jazz-inflected prose holds its own, even injecting the story with moments of humor (the band's music makes the ant smile, "which on an ant can look a little strange," the Emberleys write). It's a jubilant reminder that valuable, important work comes in many forms. Ages 3-7. (Oct.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Kirkus Review
In this playful riff on Aesop's fable, an ant's load is made light when her spirit is lifted by the grasshopper's music. The ant, burdened with a sticky piece of watermelon and weighed down by the thought that her family is depending on her for food, is so tired she can barely take another step. Then she hears MUSIC (emphasized in boldface capital letters) made by the grasshopper and his band. In fact, those first notes leave her positively bug-eyed. Instead of chastising them for playing, the ant is moved by the tune. Gallantly, the band takes to the road in order to march her back to her colony. In an additional, delicious twist highlighting their symbiotic relationship, the ant invites them into her home, where they party--a celebration highlighted in a foldout spread that works both front and back. The text has a distinctly jazzy drawl that begs to be read aloud. The collage art is bursting with pleasingly chaotic, Mardi Gras colors, especially the two spreads depicting ant's first views of the buggy band. The pacing is masterful, and the inclusion of the foldout page provides a wonderful place to pause and, as the text exhorts, "[l]et the good times roll!" The Emberleys offer such a joyful, imaginative interpretation of the classic that even the youngest will understand the unstated message to "eat, drink and be merry." (Picture book. 4-8)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
The Emberleys cast their quirky brand of picture-book magic on another classic, celebrating not only the rewards of hard work but also the intrinsic value of music and the arts. As an ant struggles to carry a wedge of watermelon back to her colony, she hears the uplifting strains of music and soldiers on, eventually discovering its source a jazzy bug band led by a grasshopper on guitar. The joyful noise buoys the ant, body and soul, so the combo accompanies her on the arduous trek, performing the whole way and, in turn, being rewarded for their own hard work. Dedicated to the people of New Orleans, the book's lighthearted text and art subtly echo the city's rich traditions and, of course, its love of a good party. Emberley's distinct high-voltage cut-paper illustrations in dynamic, close-up double-page spreads (and a lagniappe foldout) are tailor-made for a swinging storytime with nary a bad seat in the house. Laissez les bon temps rouler!--McKulski, Kristen Copyright 2010 Booklist
