Frank, the Ant

Margaret Bunel Edwards is the author of Little Stitch, The Ocean
Between, and The ABCs of Writing for Children.

Frank is an ant who is curious about a wide-open space he can see from
his hiding place beneath the cupboard. Older scout ants tell exciting
stories of meeting a huge, four-legged creature too big to see around.
It owns a wall of pink, 20 ants wide, and blows bubbles of foam as it
looks for bits of food dropped on the floor. Frank takes a length of
spider web for a rope, a green hat, two granules of sugar for food, and
sets out. He thinks he has come to ancient canals when he steps into the
ridges between the floor tiling; he also steps on Ezra the silverfish.
Together, they explore until they come to four pillars in the middle of
the room (the legs of a chair). Further adventures include Harry the
fly, a short stay in a garbage pail, and a return home. Ezra decides to
stay in the ant colony, and he and Frank plan more exciting forays into
the great unknown.

Children 8 to 11 will enjoy this first chapter book. The world, seen
through the eyes of insects, is interesting and often humorous. Some of
the vocabulary will be a challenge to the beginning reader, but the text
explains the meaning of the longer words. The book must be turned
sideways to view the black-and-white sketches; younger children could
find this awkward. The text is in large type for easy reading.
Recommended.