The Wonderful Wisdom of Ants

by Philip Bunting

Overview

"There are ten quadrillion ants in the world, and yet I bet you never thought they could teach you anything. But these tiny creatures can do big things when they work together--just like people!"--

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780593567784
Publisher:	Random House Children's Books
Publication date:	03/19/2024
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	203,442
Product dimensions:	9.70(w) x 10.00(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Philip Bunting is an author and illustrator whose work deliberately encourages playful interaction between the reader and child, allowing his books to create a platform for genuine intergenerational engagement and fun. Philip’s books have been translated into multiple languages and published in over thirty countries around the world. Since his first book was published in 2017, Philip has received multiple accolades, including Honours from the Children’s Book Council of Australia and making the list for the Kate Greenaway Medal in 2018. He lives with his young family on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast.

Editorial Reviews

03/01/2024

K-Gr 3—Told with humor and short phrases, this is a highly engaging nonfiction for young etymologists. All ages will enjoy this book as some of the fun is geared more toward adult readers, e.g., "before you can say, 'Bob's your ant!'" Comparing the ant's world with the human realm will help children connect with these small creatures. They may ask adults to think twice about getting rid of that ant invasion in the home after reading about the amazing way ants communicate by using pheromones. Who would have thought ants had such important life lessons to teach humans? Bunting's pitch-perfect renderings and graphic images complement the simple text; they're highly appealing and reminiscent of the illustrations in John Kane's I Say Ooh, You Say Aah. VERDICT A fun new addition for all collections.—Heidi Dechief

School Library Journal

2024-01-05
An amiable introduction to our thrifty, sociable, teeming insect cousins.

Bunting notes that all the ants on Earth weigh roughly the same as all the people and observes that ants (like, supposedly, us) love recycling, helping others, and taking “micronaps.” They, too, live in groups, and their “superpower” is an ability to work together to accomplish amazing things. Bunting goes on to describe different sorts of ants within the colony (“Drone. Male. Does no housework. Takes to the sky. Reproduces. Drops dead”), how they communicate using pheromones, and how they get from egg to adult. He concludes that we could learn a lot from them that would help us leave our planet in better shape than it was when we arrived. If he takes a pass on mentioning a few less positive shared traits (such as our tendency to wage war on one another), still, his comparisons do invite young readers to observe the natural world more closely and to reflect on our connections to it. In the simple illustrations, generic black ants look up at viewers with little googly eyes while scurrying about the pages gathering food, keeping nests clean, and carrying outsized burdens.

Lighthearted and informative, though the premise may be a bit stretched. (Informational picture book. 6-8)

Kirkus Reviews

★ "This overview of ants combines cleverly designed graphics and a funny text to convey major concepts about the familiar insects." —The Horn Book, starred review

"Lighthearted and informative." —Kirkus Reviews

"The Australian author-illustrator blends wordplay, speech bubbles, and humor with solid information to introduce ant life and explain how these insects benefit the planet.” —Booklist

"Told with humor and short phrases, this is a highly engaging nonfiction for young etymologists." —School Library Journal

From the Publisher