This hilarious meta picture book from the author of Butterflies Are Pretty . . . Gross! shows us that ants aren't so bad. In fact, they're pretty amazing, and with their humongous families, they might turn your picnic into a party!
Nothing can ruin a picnic faster than a bunch of ants. It's a good thing there are no ants in this book . . . well, maybe there's only one. Or two. . . . Or ten??
Maybe it's not so bad. Ants are kind of cool, after all — especially the ones with amazing butts, like the Acrobat Ant that waves its back end around to scare off enemies. Or the Slender Leaf Ant that can glide through the air. Or the Dinosaur Ant, which is the biggest ant in the world! Okay, so a picnic with ants is actually lots of fun!
But what if an anteater also wants to join the picnic?
A 2024 Betsy Bird Pick for Best Picture Book Readaloud and Best Informational Fiction for Kids One of the Canadian Children's Book Centre's Best Books for Kids and Teens, Spring 2025
PRAISE FOR There Are No Ants in This Book:
"Sure to please budding entomologists, this quirky tale makes clear that ants are so much more than picnic pests." —Kirkus Reviews
"Bright colors and sunny skies predominate, contrasting nicely with the black ants, and the protagonist's facial expressions (ranging from concern to awe) deftly convey her evolving attitude. And while adults may grimace at the illustration of the child swarmed by these insects, kids will understand her delight." —Booklist
"[L]ively, rollicking . . . an amusing and unusually informative counting book that identifies 10 kinds of ants. Highly recommended, it’s bound to appeal to young and old alike." —The Montreal Gazette
"The girl in this book states emphatically that there are NO ants in this book. But, when the reader turns the page, there is a tiny ant in the corner of the page. The girl concedes that there is ONE ant in the book, but only one. Of course, more ants are added as the pages are turned. This is a cute book with minimal but humorous text, as well as expressive and delightful illustrations." —Midwest Book Review
This hilarious meta picture book from the author of Butterflies Are Pretty . . . Gross! shows us that ants aren't so bad. In fact, they're pretty amazing, and with their humongous families, they might turn your picnic into a party!
Nothing can ruin a picnic faster than a bunch of ants. It's a good thing there are no ants in this book . . . well, maybe there's only one. Or two. . . . Or ten??
Maybe it's not so bad. Ants are kind of cool, after all — especially the ones with amazing butts, like the Acrobat Ant that waves its back end around to scare off enemies. Or the Slender Leaf Ant that can glide through the air. Or the Dinosaur Ant, which is the biggest ant in the world! Okay, so a picnic with ants is actually lots of fun!
But what if an anteater also wants to join the picnic?
Photos
Praise
A 2024 Betsy Bird Pick for Best Picture Book Readaloud and Best Informational Fiction for Kids One of the Canadian Children's Book Centre's Best Books for Kids and Teens, Spring 2025
PRAISE FOR There Are No Ants in This Book:
"Sure to please budding entomologists, this quirky tale makes clear that ants are so much more than picnic pests." —Kirkus Reviews
"Bright colors and sunny skies predominate, contrasting nicely with the black ants, and the protagonist's facial expressions (ranging from concern to awe) deftly convey her evolving attitude. And while adults may grimace at the illustration of the child swarmed by these insects, kids will understand her delight." —Booklist
"[L]ively, rollicking . . . an amusing and unusually informative counting book that identifies 10 kinds of ants. Highly recommended, it’s bound to appeal to young and old alike." —The Montreal Gazette
"The girl in this book states emphatically that there are NO ants in this book. But, when the reader turns the page, there is a tiny ant in the corner of the page. The girl concedes that there is ONE ant in the book, but only one. Of course, more ants are added as the pages are turned. This is a cute book with minimal but humorous text, as well as expressive and delightful illustrations." —Midwest Book Review
