Ant Story

Gr 3-7–Meet Rubi, “a cartoon ant who was born into a colony of real leaf-cutter ants.” As the only cartoon ant in the colony, Rubi is the only one who speaks. She describes the colony to readers, explaining how the ants grow food underground, communicate with smells, and other incredible facts. When the ants go out to gather leaves, Rubi continues to describe their abilities and daily activities, as well as pointing out the dangers lurking outside the anthill. Once Rubi meets Miranda, who also talks, they have one adventure after another, avoiding all those dangers. The illustrations make it easy to distinguish Rubi and Miranda from the other insects. Changes in perspective give the story a cinematic feel as some panels zoom in for dialogue between two characters while others pull back to give a wide-angle view of the action. The endless stories that Rubi tells to make life in the anthill more interesting and to explain things to Miranda also share important information with readers in an entertaining way. Students will laugh out loud while learning amazing facts.