The Little Red Ant and the Great Big Crumb

by Shirley Climo, Francisco Mora (Illustrator)

Overview

This distinctly Mexican version of an old fable found in Spain, Portugal, and France is retold and updated by a well-known storyteller. The little red ant has found a wonderful crumb, but she's not strong enough to carry it all the way home. Going from one creature to the next, asking for help, the little red ant is surprised to discover who is the strongest of all. Spanish words add to the text's Mexican flavor, and bold, playful illustrations, hinting at what's coming next, make this story a real "page-turner."

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780547562612
Publisher:	HarperCollins Publishers
Publication date:	03/22/1999
Sold by:	HARPERCOLLINS
Format:	eBook
Pages:	40
Lexile:	550L (what's this?)
File size:	29 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	5 - 8 Years

About the Author

Shirley Climo is the author of many popular folklore books for children. She lives in Los Altos, California.

Editorial Reviews

PreS-Gr 2-A satisfying Mexican version of the rock-scissors-paper fable, accompanied by simple but expressive pictures. A tiny ant finds a crumb too heavy to lift and begs help from the lizard, who is so strong he can blow down an anthill. The lizard refuses, however, for he is cold and must wait for the sun to warm him. The ant finds a creature stronger than the sun, the rooster, and then discovers that the rooster is afraid of the coyote, who fears the man, who in turn respects the stinging power of the ant. When the ant puts all these events in order, she lifts and carries her own little burden with confidence. Mora's watercolor pictures zoom down to the insect's level, eliminating most details and leaving only the subtle shading of animals' bodies, leaves, and corn stalks. The Spanish words sprinkled throughout can usually be understood in context, but a glossary is appended just in case.-Ruth Semrau, formerly at Lovejoy School, Allen, TX

School Library Journal

"A satisfying Mexican version of the rock-scissors-paper fable, accompanied by simple but expressive pictures." School Library Journal —

From the Publisher