Two Bad Ants

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Summary: "Two Bad Ants" learn a valuable life-lesson.
Review: "Two Bad Ants" was first published over ten years ago, but I somehow overlooked it. This gem is worth adding to your collection of children's books, and it's one that children enjoy hearing over and over again. Best of all, "Two Bad Ants" is a book that YOU won't tire of READING aloud to your kids!! What I love about this book is that Van Allsburg isn't afraid to use big words in a book for children; simplistic books are great for kids who are trying to learn to read, but they need books with more complicated vocabulary in order to increase their understanding of language. Van Allsburg really delivers with this well-written, suspenseful, entertaining tale of two ants who discover a scary world they'd never dreamed existed: a modern kitchen, replete with electrical appliances and the inherent dangers thereof. Van Allsburg delivers the story's message simply and directly on the last page of the book: the ants learn that they belong at home and that will be happiest in their familiar surroundings. The easy life they'd envisioned could be theirs in the strange new indoor world of the house was more dangerous than they could have imagined, and wasn't worth the trouble.

The drawings are simple and clean, and the color-pallette is limited, which makes for fewer distractions. The artwork is really fantastic, but the vivid pictures Van Allsburg draws with his rich, descriptive complex sentences are even more satisfying. This is a book that my children and I will enjoy for years to come.

Rating:
Summary: "Two Bad Ants" learn a valuable life-lesson.
Review: "Two Bad Ants" was first published over ten years ago, but I somehow overlooked it. This gem is worth adding to your collection of children's books, and it's one that children enjoy hearing over and over again. Best of all, "Two Bad Ants" is a book that YOU won't tire of READING aloud to your kids!! What I love about this book is that Van Allsburg isn't afraid to use big words in a book for children; simplistic books are great for kids who are trying to learn to read, but they need books with more complicated vocabulary in order to increase their understanding of language. Van Allsburg really delivers with this well-written, suspenseful, entertaining tale of two ants who discover a scary world they'd never dreamed existed: a modern kitchen, replete with electrical appliances and the inherent dangers thereof. Van Allsburg delivers the story's message simply and directly on the last page of the book: the ants learn that they belong at home and that will be happiest in their familiar surroundings. The easy life they'd envisioned could be theirs in the strange new indoor world of the house was more dangerous than they could have imagined, and wasn't worth the trouble.

The drawings are simple and clean, and the color-pallette is limited, which makes for fewer distractions. The artwork is really fantastic, but the vivid pictures Van Allsburg draws with his rich, descriptive complex sentences are even more satisfying. This is a book that my children and I will enjoy for years to come.

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Summary: Two Crazy Ants!
Review: I read this book to my class every year. The children love to guess exactly where the two wayward ants are as we go along.

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Summary: ants are cool
Review: I think this is great book because it is about 2 ants that go in a house and think that a sink is a water fall and think that grass are big woods and think that salt are big dimens and then fall into a big bucket of salt and took it home this is why I like this book and I think this is a great book

Rating:
Summary: "Two Bad Ants"
Review: If you are looking for a great kids book, I recommend the book by Chris Van Allsburg, Two Bad Ants. This book captivates the reader with its descriptive text as well as its exciting story line. The book is about two ants who, instead of helping the colony by getting food, decide they will stay where the food is and live alone. They quickly learn that living by themselves is not an easy thing to do. They encounter many hardships and obsticles, finally realizing that they need the colony. Read this book and find out what happens to the two ants and whether or not they make it home.

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Summary: ants are cool
Review: The ant world is all excited because world has come that a marvelous crystal has been discovered in a faraway place. The queen declares the crystal to be the most delicious substance she has ever eaten, and so the ants go forth in a long line to bring her back more of the same. After marching through an a dark forest (of grass) and climbing a mountain (otherwise known as a brick wall) the ants find themselves in a strange world without wind or the smell of dirt and grass, with smooth shiny surfaces, all leading to the sea of crystals.

What has happened is that the ants have made their way in the kitchen of a home and that should be enough to let you guess what those delicious crystals happen to be. Two of the ants decide that the treasure they have found is so great they went their comrades return to the colony, these two stay behind. But then they discover that some of the strange things in this brave new world are pretty dangerous.

The idea behind "Two Bad Ants" is pretty interesting, but the story does not develop it as much as you would think and having it illustrated by Chris Van Allsburg is pretty much illustrative overkill. Certainly taking a different perspective on the ordinary world of their kitchen is something that should prove interesting to young readers, but what should have been a strength of this book, its essentially "realism," is abandoned as the two (bad) ants brave a series of dangers that take more of a traditional comic turn.

But the ultimate irony is that this 1988 book would have been more impressive if it had been done by someone other than Van Allsburg. From the artist that brought us "The Polar Express" and "Jumanji," just to name two Caldecott Medal winner books, "Two Bad Ants" comes across as a trifle. How is that for an exacting standard of excellence?

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Summary: two bad ants for ms voorhees book reports assignment
Review: The story the two bad ants is a very good story, telling of how a scout ant discovers sugar, takes it to the queen ant and how she subsequentially sends out hundreds of ants, to claim some of this sugar for herself,however, two ants stay behind in an attempt to have some of the sugar for themselves, they eat all night and are merry, only to fall asleep and then be rudely introduced to the world of men the next morning. They find themselves poured into coffee, shot out of a toaster, spun in a garbage disposal, electrocuted, and nearly drowned. They learn thier lesson from this and wait for the ants to return that night, and then follow them home, thier home.

This is a fairly good chris van alsburg story, the illustrations are the highlights, where as the story isnt as ironic as you would expect from him. The story amused me and im sure it would be quite fun to read for many younger readers. I would recomend this book to anyone just learning to read.

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Summary: Hmmmmmmmmmm......
Review: There is absolutely nothing wrong with the graphics in this book. They are really beautiful with a faux-woodcut style that is pretty fresh. If you haven't seen a copy, your eyes will thank you for tracking down a copy.

The title is great. Provocative - Unfortunately it implies a sense of humor to the story, which it lacks. It isn't funny (I mean situationally, verbally funny would be beyond it's target audience). For a book that has at most a paragraph of text, spending twice as much time on the story arc (ummmm... that would have been twenty minutes?) would have resulted in a full-on classic. As it stands 2/3rds of it is perfect and the last element does not hold it's own. I realize kids don't need Wagnerian intricacy, but adults reading the book to them them 4 dozen times, would have appreciated a smidge more depth, intent, beauty or humor to the story.

Bewilderingly, the greater goal of teaching responsibility & obedience is a bit lost while also making youngsters inquisitive about garbage disposals, toasters and electric outlets. !??!

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Summary: "Two Bad Ants"
Review: This book has wonderful illustrations. Most of all it is great for teaching writing. The story is simple, but imaginative. It has a clear beginning, middle, and end. The middle of the story has several conflicts and resolutions. If you are not a teacher, it also is a great read aloud for kids, with a comforting ending.

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Summary: Two Crazy Ants!
Review: Two ants get into big trouble when they enter a new world which is really a kitchen. This book is really exciting because you get to see a close-up view of an ant's life. My favorite part was when they got into the toaster and got rocketed up from the biscuits. I recommend this book because I love insects and I enjoyed feeling like I was one of the ants in the story.