Review by Booklist Review
Gr. 1^-4. This companion to The Life and Times of the Honeybee (1995) and The Life and Times of the Peanut (1997) offers succinct text and an impressive amount of information presented in an attractive, picture-book format. Micucci discusses the longevity of this species, communication techniques, social structure of the colony, body parts, habitats, variety among ants, and the species' role in recycling. Topics are presented on illustrated double-page spreads comprising a main block of text and numerous, captioned illustrations. Most of the artwork is realistic, although the author anthropomorphizes in a few drawings (an ant wearing a hard hat drives a front loader; the ant queen wears a crown and carries a scepter). Overall, the presentation is informative, stimulating, and attractive, with just enough humor to reel in the intended audience. A good choice for report writers and for browsers. --Kay Weisman
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
"From house plants to ant colonies, these creatures' life comes to the fore with cutaway views and detailed explanations of the ant community's inner workings," noted PW. Ages 5-8. (Apr.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 2-5-Micucci stresses the long history and continuing importance of a social insect that thrives in habitats from deserts to jungles. From body structure to communication and colony organization, this overview, enhanced by numerous watercolor illustrations, should encourage readers to seek out and observe the industrious insect that can be found almost anywhere. (c) Copyright 2011. 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 Horn Book Review
(Primary) Science, with its diagrams, charts, and tables, has a language all its own. And it is this language--in addition to the history, behavior, and attributes of ants--that Micucci introduces to young readers. A pictorial flowchart details life inside an anthill, a timeline pinpoints this insect's entrance as a species on earth, and a diagram of an ant's body shows each part with the precision of illustrations found in scientific texts. As in previous books in the series (The Life and Times of the Apple, The Life and Times of the Honey Bee), Micucci moves naturally among various methods of scientific explanation, including enumeration (kinds of ants), charting (showing the relationship between ant speed and temperature), and chronological order (a calendar traces a year in the life of an ant). Although some decorative illustrations introduce human metaphors (a nurse ant, for example, sports a white cap and uniform; a queen ant wears a crown; and a section on ant communication is headed by two insects talking on a telephone), there is no anthropomorphism in either the text or the main drawings. Give this to youngsters ready to move beyond the backyard observations of Arthur Dorros's fine introduction to the topic, Ant Cities, and into the wider world of scientific discourse. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
