The Ant Farm Escape!
Author: Heather Macht
Illustrator: David Harrington
Pelican Press
17 January 2019
32 pages
Follow along through rhyming text as an ant colony is newly relocated to an ant farm and it’s time to break ground. They’re ready to build and (here’s a fun fact about worker ants), they’re all GIRLS!
Need some reviews of The Ant Farm Escape!?
And for bonus #1, here’s the “story behind the story” of this book from Lynne Marie’s blog.
Here’s bonus #2, The Ant Farm Escape! book trailer.
And last but not least, here’s bonus #2: an interview with author Heather Macht (by Rhys Keller).
Educational Activities inspired by The Ant Escape! by Heather Macht:
- Before Reading–From looking at the front and back cover:
- What do you already know about ants?
- Where and when does this story seem to take place?
- What kind of equipment do the ants have? Does any of it surprise you?
- How many of the ants appear to be female?
- After Reading–Now that you’ve read the story:
- Which of the ant facts surprise you the most?
- Would you like your own ant farm? Why/why not?
- How would you describe the style of the pictures?
- Go back and revisit the pictures in this book. Which of them is your favorite? Why?
- Writing–Try your hand at creating your own ant story. Write what happens when the colony in this story leaves the ant farm and goes the nearby hill. Or tell the story of a single ant from this story or from your imagination. Who would have the most interesting story to share–a queen, a worker, or a whole group of ants?
- Craft–With an adult’s help, try some of the following ant-themed crafts:
- Ant Puppet–Easy enough for the smallest to create, fun enough for everyone. Comes with a song, too!
- Egg Carton Ant Figure–Perfect for preschoolers.
- 3D Paper Ant–Very easy craft–black construction paper, scissors, and a glue stick. That’s it!
- Plastic Spoon Ant–Love DIY projects? Dig recycling? This video shows how to make a cool ant from a Styrofoam ball and a plastic spoon.
- Ant Printable–Super easy, though it has a bit more cutting than other projects listed here.
- Further Reading–Want more books that showcase the small-but-awesome world of ants? (Click on the book cover for more information on any of these titles!)
