The Ants and the Grasshopper, Narrated by the Fanciful But Truthful Grasshopper

Other Side of the Fable

by Nancy Loewen, Carles Arbat (Illustrator)

Why wasn't the grasshopper preparing for winter like the industrious ants were? The grasshopper himself treats readers to HIS side of this classic Aesop's fable in a first-person narrative that celebrates friendship and music, and subtly teaches the concept of perspective. Includes a condensed version of the original fable and discussion questions.

Genres: Childrens

24 pages, Paperback

Published August 1, 2018

About the author

Nancy Loewen grew up on a farm in southwestern Minnesota, surrounded by library books and cats. She's published more than 140 books for children. FOUR TO THE POLE (co-authored with polar explorer Ann Bancroft) and THE LAST DAY OF KINDERGARTEN were Minnesota Book Award finalists. Her WRITER'S TOOLBOX series received a Distinguished Achievement Award from the Association of Educational Publishers.

Nancy lives in Saint Paul and has an MFA in Creative Writing from Hamline University. She has two adult children and a cat who sometimes bites her knees under the table as she writes.

Reviews

[Cyndy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love these stories from the other side. This story is a favorite for me because it's about music and we all need music. In this story the Grasshopper plays music while the ants work storing food all summer. What happens in the fall when there is no food for the Grasshopper? The illustrations were wonderful.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this was great. It turns the fable, The Ant and the Grasshopper, on its head (as it deserves to be turned) and replaces the Protestant work ethic with a celebration of life and generosity. The artwork is lovely too.