The Littlest Pair

Littlest Series

by Sylvia A. Rouss, Holly Hannon (Illustrator)

None of the animals want the termites to come aboard Noah’s Ark. After all, termites eat arks. But when the rain starts pouring and the animals start slipping helter skelter across the Ark, the termites use their wood munching abilities to save the day. The entire book is done in rhyme.

32 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2001

Reviews

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very simplified version of the tale of Noah's Ark, told with a focus on a pair of termites who are initially viewed as pests and ultimately seen as essential to the other animals, with a message that everyone is important, no matter how small. I believe I received this from PJ Library and read it to my kids many times before they outgrew it, but if I pull it off the shelf now (they're nine and eleven) they'd probably still sit to have me read it to them. It's a little bit sappy but beautifully done, with wonderful artwork and an important message. Probably not suitable for any child under three as they probably could not sit through this book.

[Rachel Engwall · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book can be taken into two different perspectives when reading it. There is an obvious religious undertone to the story which could be brought out through Noah's Ark, however there is a moral meaning that everybody is somebody. The termites were not wanted in the beginning by any of the other animals, but they came of use when the storm hit. The animals saw what important skills they had and appreciated them in the end.

This story is religious fiction. It is based off the story of Noah's Ark, however is not the story itself. The audience would be for elementary-aged students.

The author, Sylvia A. Rouss, writes many books involving Jewish characters and subjects because she is Jewish herself. This provides her with many religious stories that she has grown up on in which she can give a fun take on, contrary to the repetitive stories the children always hear.