What Does An Anteater Eat?

by Ross Collins, Ross Collins (Illustrator)

Overview

"The silliness should have little listeners asking for repeat readings." —Kirkus Reviews

Anteater is hungry, but he has completely forgotten what anteaters eat. Baffled, and with his tummy rumbling, he consults the other animals. Sloth is too busy, Toucan is clueless, and Crocodile has his own mouth full. Whatever will Anteater do? It isn't until the ants all run for their lives that Anteater remembers what he should be eating . . . and it’s not what you think! A delightfully silly tale that little ones will return to again and again.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781536205916
Publisher:	Candlewick Press
Publication date:	07/09/2019
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	499,457
Product dimensions:	10.70(w) x 10.80(h) x 0.60(d)
Age Range:	2 - 5 Years

About the Author

Ross Collins has illustrated more than one hundred books for children and is the author-illustrator of There’s a Bear on My Chair and This Zoo Is Not for You. When he's not creating children’s books, he enjoys working on character development for animation studios like Laika and Disney. He also likes walking in the Scottish glens with his dog, Hugo, and his partner, Jacqui. Ross Collins lives in Scotland.

Editorial Reviews

05/20/2019

A straightforward question gets twisted into a silly resolution in this latest from Collins (Singing Dad and Other Stories). “I’m hungry,” announces a bushy-tailed, long-nosed anteater at the outset; the problem is that it doesn’t know what it’s supposed to eat. (“I know this sounds odd,” the polite but befuddled protagonist admits.) Unfortunately, when he tries asking other animals for help, their self-absorption limits their ability to advise. A sloth is too busy lying around. A toucan and self-declared “melon expert” suggests watermelon (anatomical differences pose an insurmountable challenge for the long-snouted hero). And a python, lumpy with earlier meals, recommends that “you chew your food.” Comic tension builds as ants march quietly through the spreads, their count increasing each time a new animal is approached (a subtle thread that eagle-eyed young readers will enjoy following). Expressive creatures done in watercolor and charcoal display distinct personalities, especially the likable but oblivious star. When the anteater at last stumbles upon an anthill beneath a banana tree, it seems like the tale can only end one way—until the scramming ants reveal an unexpected conclusion. Ages 2–5. (July)

Publishers Weekly

Collins' cartoon illustrations in watercolor and charcoal are bright and engaging...Listeners will giggle all the way through because they know the answer. The text is made up entirely of dialogue, the anteater's set in boldface roman type and the other animals' in italics. The silliness should have little listeners asking for repeat readings.
—Kirkus Reviews

Comic tension builds as ants march quietly through the spreads, their count increasing each time a new animal is approached (a subtle thread that eagle-eyed young readers will enjoy following). Expressive creatures done in watercolor and charcoal display distinct personalities, especially the likable but oblivious star.
—Publishers Weekly

From the Publisher

2019-04-10
A peckish anteater wonders what to nosh on….

An anteater wakes up hungry, sets off to find some yums, and comes upon a sloth. "Good morning. I know this sounds odd, but do you happen to know what an anteater eats?" The lazing sloth says it's too busy to answer, so the anteater moves on. A toucan suggests the anteater have some watermelon, but the anteater's mouth is too small. A lumpy python with a rather nauseated look on its face confesses it doesn't know but advises chewing food well. An alligator offers old fish (which is "delicious")…the anteater declines. The bats are too busy hunting dinner to help, and the cheetah thinks the anteater looks yummy. When the anteater finally asks some seriously busy ants what to eat, their panicked response says everything…kind of. The ants flee, and the anteater enjoys the bananas they were carrying back to their hill. Collins' cartoon illustrations in watercolor and charcoal are bright and engaging. Ants march along the bottoms of most double-page spreads as the anteater moves through a generic forest landscape looking to find breakfast. Listeners will giggle all the way through because they know the answer. The text is made up entirely of dialogue, the anteater's set in boldface roman type and the other animals' in italics.

The silliness should have little listeners asking for repeat readings. (Picture book. 2-6)

Kirkus Reviews