Two Bad Ants Reader Response

A. Two Bad Ants
B. Chris Van Allsburg
C. Chris Van Allsburg
D. Houghton Mifflin Company, 1988
E. Picture book, animal fantasy
F. 1-3
G. This books tells the tale of two bad ants (from the ants' perspective) who go along with the ant colony to investigate the discovery of amazing new crystals that can be eaten. When they get into the cave filled with the crystals, they decide that they aren't going to return home with the rest of the ants. However, as the household awakes, the ants have to survive coffee, a water spigot, and a garbage disposal. After surviving all this, the ants decide that the next night they will return home with the colony.
H. Once again, Chris Van Allsburg has amazed me. What a fantastic tale of a story told from the perspective of ants. The description of everyday things like coffee and water coming out of a faucet is incredible. It must have taken a lot of imagination to think of how these things would seem to an ant. The illustrations were key in the comprehension of the point of view. One picture shows the ants in the coffee as the cup is being tipped towards an open mouth. I know if I were one of those ants, I would be scared!!! It shows how neat it is to look at things from different perspectives.
I. What a great book for teaching perspective! It's not everyday that you run across a book that is written so expertly from the perspective of an ant. It's also a great way to talk about how to see issues from more than one perspective. Seeing both sides of an issue is an important lesson for youngsters.

Lesson Plan from Scholastic