How to Walk an Ant

March 1, 2019

PreS-Gr 1--Expert ant walker Amariyah shares her valuable experience in this simple nine-step guide. It starts out easy enough as she explains how to find the ants, gain their trust, and even put a fancy leash on them. However, by step eight, Amariyah finds herself swarmed. This leads to an unfortunate accident with a ladybug walker when their lines tangle up. A new friendship, and business partnership, is born by the end of this amusing debut. Derby writes in an adorable childlike voice; Amariyah sounds like a kid playing at a job, and her logic is whimsical. Kids will find certain ideas, like using grandma's fake nail as a bridge for the ants, entertaining. To maintain the illusion that this is a DIY guidebook, each section includes instructions, tips, and rules, which are written by hand, as well as helpful, minimally colored visuals, made from watercolors and thick inks. Finally, Amariyah provides additional information about ants within an appendix and glossary. VERDICT Children will be tickled by this plot-driven guide and its novel conceit.-Rachel Forbes, Oakville Public Library, Ont.

Copyright 2019 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 15, 2018
Some children have lemonade stands; the protagonist in this debut promotes ant-walking tours.Young entrepreneur Amariyah has paper-white skin, a lanky mop of scribbly black hair, and a crooked smile. Copies of this how-to guide are stacked near her booth. The nine-step process, elucidated with tips and rules, makes up the majority of the narrative, starting with finding an ant and introducing yourself: "Don't be antsy. Ants can smell fear with their ANTennae." Irregularly formed headings and text look like a child's writing, adding to the handmade aesthetic. Gray watercolor washes--sometimes fleshed out with trees or buildings--form the backdrop, with spots of color highlighting important details such as the Expert Walker's chartreuse dress and her grandmother's magenta nails. Some sections include footnotes that refer to appendices, where readers can learn actual ant anatomy in order to avoid harmful leash placement. At the climax, several spreads reveal what happens when an ant-walker and a ladybug-walker (also paper-white, with spiky black ponytails) become entangled in a colorful snarl of threads: ice cream, friendship, and an insect funeral are elements of the aftermath. Luckily, the backmatter also covers respectful burials. While not everyone will be drawn to the gray palette, the occasional sense of emptiness, and the disheveled caricatures, budding entomologists (and plenty of regular kids) will delight in the focus on these commonly seen insects.Be prepared for leash requests--so convincing is this guidebook. Teachers may also appreciate it as a humorous model when explaining elements of informational text. (appendices, glossary) (Picture book. 4-7)

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