The Grasshopper and the Ants

Title: The Grasshopper and the Ants
Author: Margaret Wise Brown
Publisher: D.C. heath and Company
Reading Level: 2 and up
Pages: 28
Genre: Picture Book










Summary:

The grasshopper loved to enjoy the summer, and he went around having fun and singing. When he ran into the ants working he told them to play. However, they knew winter was coming so they worked hard all day to store up for the winter. The grasshopper did not like this way of life, so he kept singing and danceing and eating whenever he wanted. One day he met an ant and told him to 'take the grasshopper way' and have fun. The ant loved the music so he stopped working. Then the queen of the ants came and the little ant left to keep working. The queen told the grasshopper that he would be sorry when winter came, but he continued to sing and play. The queen hurried off to keep working, and the summer continued. The ants kept working and when winter started to set in they settled into their home with all the food they would need. Grasshopper, on the other hand, was frozen and he couldn't find any food. He saw the ants having fun in their home and then he fell to the ground almost frozen. He knocked and the ants let him in and cared for him. When he saw the queen he asked for a second chance, and she told him he must work. She handed him his fiddle and ordered him to play! Everyone statred to dance, and the grasshopper changed his ways. This book contains full page pictures of all the events. The grasshopper is portrayed as making the good decision with the colors, and the ants seem boring. However, when winter comes it changes. The ants home is fun and full of color, and the grasshopper is frozen. I love the reactions and facial expressions of all the ants. I think they are all so cute!

My Reaction:

This is a great book! I love the pictures and it has a great moral.

Potential Problems:

Kids might be sad that the grasshopper almost freezes, but nothing bad happens to him.

Recommendations:

I wolud recommend this book to everyone. It teaches a good lesson of preparing now for the future instead of waiting around until the last minute. Everybody needs a reminder every now and then.