Review by Booklist Review
Ages 5-7. This picture book about ants and how they live provides a useful, simplified explanation of their existence. It explains the social divisions of the colony, the jobs of worker ants, and the operation of the ant hill as it serves the needs of the colony. Some points could have been clearer, however. Although harvest ants are the species identified for purposes of this discussion, there is no mention of where these ants are found. Are they all over the U.S. or just in certain parts? The same criticism can be made of the coverge of other ant species that are too briefly described. Dorros offers guidance for children wanting to observe ants close up; they're told to collect ants and put them in a jar or to buy an ant farm. The only problem is that the homemade ant farm requires holes punched in a jar lid holes that would allow a good many of the tiny critters to escape. These quibbles don't negate the book's essential usefulness; young children will find its overall information well within their grasp. DMW. 595.79'604524 Ants Habits and behavior [CIP] 85-48244
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 3 Dorros introduces ant communities by examining the harvester ant. The book includes information on the organization of the ant community, the specialization of ant roles within the community, and some of the physical characteristics of ant life. The pages on the harvester ant are followed by brief descriptions of several different types of ants, all chosen to catch a child's interest. The book ends with instructions for making a simple ant farm. The material is presented in simple language and large print. The illustrations, which are cartoon - like, colorful, and amusing, make the text more comprehensible and add interest to the book. One problem is that some terms, like larvae and pupae, are never defined, and there are limited contextual clues to their meaning. Still, this is an adequate introduction to a subject that fascinates the bug-minded, and it will be a useful addition to the science section. Ellen Loughran, Brooklyn Public Library (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Among the 10,000 kinds of ants, diggers and builders may be the most interesting, with theft ability to lift 50 times their weight, their labor divisions, and their communication links. Through four-color cartoons that smartly withhold personalities from the insects, readers peek inside tunnels created for varying weather conditions, Once they're hooked, there's information about food processing, caring for eggs, and the roles of harvester and queen ants, as well as sections on other types of ants and instructions for building an ant farm. All serve to trade fright for respect, perhaps fascination. This behind-the-scenes story of a deceptively simple hill should build interest in observing both city and country ants. Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
