It's an Orange Aardvark!
by Michael Hall (Author) Michael Hall (Illustrator)
Acclaimed New York Times-bestselling picture book creator Michael Hall delivers a funny and suspenseful story about colors, ants, aardvarks, and rainbows that will appeal to Lois Ehlert fans and fans of The Very Hungry Caterpillar, by Eric Carle. Another winner from the author of My Heart Is Like a Zoo, Perfect Square, and Cat Tale!
Five carpenter ants at home in their tree stump hear a noise. What is it? One ant thinks it is a hungry aardvark lurking outside the stump, just waiting to eat them. One ant makes a hole in the stump to see. Orange light floods the stump--it's not an aardvark, proclaims the ant chorus. It's orange! So what is lurking outside the stump? This very funny picture book features die-cut holes on almost every page, suspenseful page turns, a wonderful surprise ending, and an introduction to a rainbow of colors. It's an Orange Aardvark! is a tour de force for Michael Hall, the acclaimed and bestselling creator of My Heart Is Like a Zoo, Perfect Square, and Cat Tale.
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School Library Journal
PreS-Gr 1--With an illustration style reminiscent of Lois Ehlert's and storytelling style similar to Eric Carle's, this tale of imagination succeeds in its bold simplicity. Five carpenter ants, with distinct personalities to delight readers, use the length of the book to discover what is making noise outside of their home. During the course of drilling holes to see what's causing such a ruckus, the ants explore color, revealing a magnificent surprise at the end of the book. The use of die-cut bore holes on each page build action and suspense in a way that readers and nonreaders alike will appreciate. Hall has crafted a book that works in a variety settings, as well. The use of color has application to early learning curricular needs, while the pace and flow of the text works well for read-aloud and storytime settings. Get ready to have another go-to favorite to pair with cherished titles like Carle's The Very Hungry Caterpillar (Penguin, 1969) and Ehlert's Color Zoo (HarperCollins, 1989).--Beth Dobson, Weatherly Heights Elementary School, Huntsville, AL
Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.Publishers Weekly
Hall's fourth bold, graphic picture book follows a crew of carpenter ants (you can tell by their hardhats) as they worry about what may or may not be outside their stump. One of the braver ants begins to chew holes in the stump (represented by small die-cut circles) to the delight of three of the others. "Like a window!" says one. "Sweet!" another chimes in. But a fifth ant is a worrier: "What if there's an aardvark out there? Aardvarks are gray and sneaky." When the hole reveals a spot of orange rather than gray, he quickly reshapes his hypothesis: "Oh no. It's an orange aardvark!" As additional holes reveal blue and red, the ant continues to assume the worst: "Oh no, no, no! It's a pajama-wearing orange aardvark and... it's carrying a bottle of ketchup!" Amid the hilarity and hyperventilation, the book also serves as an entertaining introduction to the colors of the rainbow, as the ants put each color in context ("Red like a fire truck") that readers will readily grasp. Ages 4-8. Agent: Anna Olswanger, Liza Dawson Associates. (Apr.)
Copyright 2014 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.Review quotes
JUV002140 - Juvenile Fiction | Animals | Insects, Spiders, etc.
JUV051000 - Juvenile Fiction | Imagination & Play
Imagination
Color
Ants
