Once again, Jerry Pinkney, has reimagined one of Aesop’s ancient fables and created another new classic in splendid watercolor. At the center of The Grasshopper and the Ants is the question “If you sing in spring...and dance in summer...and play in fall...what will happen in winter?” This fable tells the tale of the steadfast ants who prepare for the long winter months and the fun-loving grasshopper who puts off hard-work so that he can play all day. Pinkney enriches the simple and sparse text with big watercolor spreads that capture the change of seasons and delicate detail of our natural world. As with Pinkney’s other tales the story doesn’t end on the last page, but on the final endpaper, where readers can check to see if Grasshopper learned his lesson or not.
This book stands right along with Pinkney’s other fable retellings of Lion & Mouse and The Tortoise & the Hare as well as Leo Lionni’s Frederick. Grasshopper & the Ants is a visual delight so be sure to take your time.
