The Ant and the Grasshopper. (Tadpoles Tales). Diane Marwood, reteller. Illustrated by Gabriele Antonini. St. Catharines, ON: Crabtree, 2012. 24 pp., pbk. & hc., $7.95 (pbk.), $18.36 (RLB.). ISBN 978-0-7787-7901-8 (pbk.), ISBN 978-0-7787-7889-9 (RLB). Subject Headings: Ants-Juvenile literature. Grasshoppers-Juvenile literature. Preschool-grade 1 / Ages 4-6. Review by Elizabeth Walker. * /4

excerpt:

One day, Grasshopper was laying in the sun, just singing. The ants were busy finding grain to store for winter. "Slow down, Ant. It is too hot to work!" called Grasshopper. "You should be finding grain for winter too!" Ant called back. But Grasshopper paid no attention to Ant's advice.

The Ant and the Grasshopper is part of Crabtree Publishing's "Tadpoles Tales" easy reader series. A straightforward retelling of one of Aesop's better-known fables, the story is designed to be accessible for emergent readers. On that count, it succeeds: the words are simple to decode; the story matches the pictures; and the font is large and clear. Children who are just learning to read independently will be able to succeed at finishing this book.

     On all other counts, however, this is not a recommended easy reader. The illustrations are very cartoony and look sloppy. Even on the glossy (presumably high-quality) paper, they appear pixelated and blurred, as if they have not been printed correctly. Very little care has been taken to make the illustrations detailed or engaging. Likewise, Marwood's text is very dry and basic. Writing an easy reader does not preclude literary merit: take a look at any of Mo Willems' or James Marshall's wildly popular easy readers, and it's clear that the genre can – and should – have some verve. This is just bland. The publisher's decision, moreover, to include "fun" games and comprehension activities on the final pages is unnecessary. Easy readers should make reading meaningful and fun for kids – they should not make reading seem like work. New readers will soon enough be answering endless comprehension questions in school; they do not need them built into a story book.

      There are thousands of much better easy readers on the market today. Parents, teachers and librarians would do best to spend their money on something of better quality and literary merit.

Not recommended.

Elizabeth Walker is a teacher-librarian in Vancouver, BC.

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Published by The Manitoba Library Association ISSN 1201-9364

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