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A review by karen_perkins
ANTics by Dakota Douglas
5.0
In the Fairweather's garden, under the apple tree is a hidden world – InhabitANT – home to a colony of ants.
One of the OccupANT's, Zube (short for ExuberANT) is late to meet his friend, BrilliANT and takes his life in his hands to cross The Forbidden Quadrant (the patio to Two Legs like you and me). He barely survives a brush with a broom, then an encounter with a soldier ant – SergeANT 33 –guarding the nest. Once she recognises him she warns him of yet another threat – the colony's greatest enemy, RepugnANT, is on the prowl. Nicknamed Puggy by Zube and his friends, the spider is a remorseless and enthusiastic killer of ants.
Zube finally, and very late, finds his friends BrilliANT and HesitANT and they set off to forage for a berry for their PennANT badge. What seems a basic ant task is actually full of danger for the young ants – full of obstacles to find a way past, falling leaves to smother or crush, and of course hunting birds and other insects, oh, and a clumsy worm with no name, who the friends call PleasANT, make this an exciting challenge for the youngsters.
Not everyone they encounter is as friendly as PleasANT though, and a horrible pong announces that RepugnANT is nearby. The three ants run – straight in to Puggy's snare of silk. HesitANT is stuck fast and it's up to Zube and Brill to rescue him.
But that's only the start of their adventures. They have to deal with all sorts of dangers, including powder compacts, lakes of rainwater, fighting cats and the relentless pursuit of Puggy, who now not only wants the three ants dead, but the whole InhabitANT colony. Can the combined talents of ExuberANT, BrilliANT and HesitANT save the day?
ANTics is a clever and well-written book with a lovely pace and rhythm. Our world has been creatively and delightfully imagined from the ants' point of view, with a humorous play on language throughout. The ants themselves are charming characters who embark on an exciting series of adventures building to a dramatic conclusion, with a refreshing look at the insect world – I certainly know a lot more about spiders and ants having read this. Kids will love it and will not be able to put it down.
One of the OccupANT's, Zube (short for ExuberANT) is late to meet his friend, BrilliANT and takes his life in his hands to cross The Forbidden Quadrant (the patio to Two Legs like you and me). He barely survives a brush with a broom, then an encounter with a soldier ant – SergeANT 33 –guarding the nest. Once she recognises him she warns him of yet another threat – the colony's greatest enemy, RepugnANT, is on the prowl. Nicknamed Puggy by Zube and his friends, the spider is a remorseless and enthusiastic killer of ants.
Zube finally, and very late, finds his friends BrilliANT and HesitANT and they set off to forage for a berry for their PennANT badge. What seems a basic ant task is actually full of danger for the young ants – full of obstacles to find a way past, falling leaves to smother or crush, and of course hunting birds and other insects, oh, and a clumsy worm with no name, who the friends call PleasANT, make this an exciting challenge for the youngsters.
Not everyone they encounter is as friendly as PleasANT though, and a horrible pong announces that RepugnANT is nearby. The three ants run – straight in to Puggy's snare of silk. HesitANT is stuck fast and it's up to Zube and Brill to rescue him.
But that's only the start of their adventures. They have to deal with all sorts of dangers, including powder compacts, lakes of rainwater, fighting cats and the relentless pursuit of Puggy, who now not only wants the three ants dead, but the whole InhabitANT colony. Can the combined talents of ExuberANT, BrilliANT and HesitANT save the day?
ANTics is a clever and well-written book with a lovely pace and rhythm. Our world has been creatively and delightfully imagined from the ants' point of view, with a humorous play on language throughout. The ants themselves are charming characters who embark on an exciting series of adventures building to a dramatic conclusion, with a refreshing look at the insect world – I certainly know a lot more about spiders and ants having read this. Kids will love it and will not be able to put it down.