This book tells the story of two mischievous ants who venture into a kitchen with a group of ants in search of mysterious crystals (sugar) and decide to stay there while the others go home. In the kitchen, they have several frightening experiences, including being trapped in a toaster. In the end, the two bad ants decide to return to the safety of their home and go back with the other ants. The illustrations in this book really add to the story and help the reader to decipher where the ants are and what they are experiencing. However, the drawings aren't always obvious and require the reader to think outside the box at times. As a reader, I enjoyed this visual puzzle and the author does a great job of using a descriptive writing style that shows the reader instead of telling the reader. There's also a lesson about working together to benefit the whole community. As a teacher, this would be a great book for younger elementary students. They could be read the story without seeing the pictures and then try to figure out where the ants are (i.e. in the grass or cup of coffee). On the other hand, you could read the story while showing the illustrations, but stop throughout and ask students to predict where the ants are and why, using the context clues. Afterwards, students could write about classroom life from the perspective of an ant and describe obstacles they might encounter. Lessons might also include investigating ants and anthills or building a classroom ant farm.
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