One Mean Ant

One Mean Ant #1

by Arthur Yorinks, Sergio Ruzzier (Illustrator)

An astonishingly disagreeable ant meets his match in this pitch-perfect picture book comedy from Arthur Yorinks and Sergio Ruzzier.

Was there ever an ant as mean as this mean ant? Not likely. This ant is so mean that leaves fall off trees when he walks by. This ant is so mean that grapes shrivel when he looks at them. But when this mean ant finds himself lost in the desert and meets a fly that defies explanation . . . well, nothing is the same again. With this first in a planned trilogy, celebrated picture book creators Arthur Yorinks and Sergio Ruzzier team up for a hilariously slapstick tale that will make a raucous read-aloud for any storytime.

Genres: Picture Books, Humor, Friendship, Childrens, Fiction, Animals, 1st Grade

48 pages, Hardcover

Published February 11, 2020

About the author

Arthur Yorinks is a playwright, director, and author of more than thirty-five picture books for children, including the Caldecott Medal–winning Hey, Al, illustrated by Richard Egielski. His most recent picture book is Presto and Zesto in Limboland, illustrated by Maurice Sendak. Arthur Yorinks lives in Cambridge, New York.

Reviews

[Mandi · Rating 1 out of 5]

No point, no funny part, no change of heart. Just a mean ant. No.

[Sarah Threlkeld · Rating 2 out of 5]

Long book for little pay off.

[Nick Olquin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was amazing!! The characters are relatable and have good chemistry. Ant and Fly for life! They are funny and heartwarming. Sadly I didn’t see the plot twist at the end coming. Nevertheless, it’s a really good book.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one silly book. The ant is a mean, mouthy bully who is so busy stomping and yelling through life that he unintentionally stomps his way out to the desert. He's still mean but now he's alone. A fly comes in (and speaks perfect Antish) and is kind and friendly to the ornery ant. Eventually the fly carries the ant out of the desert and into a...(spoiler alert) spider web.I read this to my 4 and 6 year old grandsons who loved it and insisted on a second read. They thought it was hilarious that after all the grumping and groaning, the ant (and fly) flew into a spider.Some reviewers here have commented on the lack of a moral (or morality--since the kind fly is the one who flew them into the spider--but it did lead to a brief discussion on being nice even when others aren't nice to us. And I think the greatest moral of the book is this: No matter how ornery you are or how kind you are you sometimes unintentionally end up in a spider web. Just close the book and move on. And that's what we did--with smiles on our faces and laughter in our hearts.

[Robin]

What a strange little book. I have no idea how to rate it. Some parts made me laugh out loud, but the ant and the fly stayed mean and dense, respectively, never growing or changing.

Also, I've met this ant in real life. Not a fun experience.

[Pat · Rating 3 out of 5]

First off, I am a fan of Yorinks. His ‘Hey, Al’, ‘Louis the Fish’, and ‘Mommy’ sit on my bookshelves. And I love kids’ picture books, kids and bugs. So by all rights I should be loving ‘One Mean Ant’. But I’m not. Don’t get me wrong; it’s not a bad book - it’s just not a memorable one.

A grouchy, disagreeable ant wanders about being unpleasant to all he meets. Ant is so busy ruining everyone else’s day he fails to note his whereabouts and ends up lost in a Sahara-like desert. Uh-oh. The future does not look bright for our unpleasant bug.

A fly so dim-witted that he is impervious to rude remarks joins the angry ant. Fly’s clueless yet unfailingly pleasant demeanor drives Ant to distraction. To the point where Ant buries his head in the sand to escape listening to anymore of Fly’s foolishness.

Ah, and then the eureka moment. With Ant’s backside in the air, Fly spots and removes a splinter from Ant’s tush. With that, the source of Ant’s fractiousness is gone. The subject of ‘behinds’ embody one of the cores of kid humor and it is an amusing scene.

Once the pain in his ass is gone, Ant ceases to be a pain in the ass himself. He goes from obnoxious pest to pleas-Ant! Thanks to Fly. And who is also responsible for saving both their butts by flying them out of the desert. Fly.

Or are they out of the desert’s frying pan and into the spider’s deadly web? A mild but not irksome cliff-hanger. This is, after all, the first book of a trilogy - though it works fine as a stand-alone.

So the take-away? Don’t take anything mean people say personally. Maybe mean people (like Ant) are simply clueless and taking out their pain on you. Everyone has value. Even stupid, annoying people (like Fly), can save your butt… maybe...

I am an inveterate book-store browser. At one time, I might have bought this book for one young great-nephew (now since grown) who loved both bugs & funny books. Because I would buy any book that might encourage a kid to read. So if this book might encourage a child you know and love to read, get it. - pb.

[J.L. Slipak · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun Illustrations, Great Story!
An astonishingly disagreeable ant meets his match in this pitch-perfect picture book comedy from Arthur Yorinks and Sergio Ruzzier.

Was there ever an ant as mean as this mean ant? Not likely. This ant is so mean that leaves fall off trees when he walks by. This ant is so mean that grapes shrivel when he looks at them. But when this mean ant finds himself lost in the desert and meets a fly that defies explanation . . . well, nothing is the same again. With this first in a planned trilogy, celebrated picture book creators Arthur Yorinks and Sergio Ruzzier team up for a hilariously slapstick tale that will make a raucous read-aloud for any story time.

Out February 2020

48 Pages

MY THOUGHTS:

I received this book in exchange for my honest review.

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This was a fun read. I loved the story which mirrored the lion and mouse story a bit. The illustrations were sweet and cute, except the last one. Ew!

Great message about friendship. Just an overall great book for kids to enjoy. East vocabulary for new readers and special needs kids to read and understand. Nice lesson about why some may be in a bad mood and how important it is to be a good friend even when the friendship is challenged at time.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a very mean ant. Grumpy, cantankerous, and hostile even. Then he is lost and alone and still needlessly agressive. Then a fly lands in his vicinity. A very happy go lucky fly. The ant is even more furious by the silly fly's nonsense. Then the fly does something useful and briefly they are friends. Then they both become entangled in a spider's web and it's all over.

The message of this book appears to be that:
A. Life is too short to waste in anger
B. Your attitude doesn't really matter because you are doomed anyway and
C. Masochistic books may actually be intended for adults, not children.
The illustrations have a style reminescent of the TV show "Rugrats". They are humorous but in an unappealing manner that distinctly declares that bugs are unsavory even under the best of circumstances. Generally true that. The lack of a moral and the sudden demise of the main characters leave the reader smiling but unimproved. This story has entertainment value, but no clear purpose to elevate it's importance on the bookshelf.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a story that really should be read aloud. It's the style of storytellers everywhere, Arthur Yorinks seems to 'pass along' a new "Once Upon A Time" tale of this meanest ant. He writes, "Brothers and sisters, this ant was mean!" Unfortunately, the ant became so busy telling everyone what to do and/or how awful they were that he wandered until he.became.lost. He was all alone in a desert. Fortunately, a fly flies in. Yes, a fly! After a long and heated, but hilarious to readers conversation, that very mean ant becomes not quite so mean, really! It does bring a considerable amount of laughing by readers when reading or hearing the scene. Sergio Ruzzier has a super ability to create illustrations in his cartoon-like creatures with nearly realistic features and great expressions. And the fly is willing to fly the mean ant out of there, into. . . You won't believe the end. I loved it.
Thanks to Candlewick Press for the copy!

[Lynn · Rating 2 out of 5]

The cover may draw readers to try this book; some will relate to the self-absorbed, arrogant ant, some will find humor in his disagreeable state, such as when he says, "Where the jalapeño am I!?" The story has irregular arcs and at times the reader may wonder where the story is leading. After reading, the reader may wonder where the story went.

Pastel illustrations in a variety of layouts have mostly desert-yellow with a vast sky mirroring the ‘lost’ feeling of the ant. The ant and fly have very buggy eyes, and the surprise spider appearing at the end is sufficiently weird.

This book could be used as a read aloud, if you don’t mind the near-swears (such as above). Was the ant lost because he was mean or was he mean because he was lost? Discussion would be easy to lead about friendship, kindness, self-awareness.

[Allyson Goose · Rating 2 out of 5]

A long story about an ant who gets lost in the desert. The ant is mean to everyone, including a friendly fly who tries to help him. The pictures are pretty, but they're too similar to one another to be interesting. There are a few funny lines, but mostly it's just the ant grumbling.

I don't need every book that I read my 4-year-old and 6-year-old kids to have a moral, but I didn't appreciate most of the messages that they'd get from this one.
*I prefer books with at least some female representation. There isn't any here.
*The fly, who is depicted as being unintelligent, has buck teeth. I know it's a common trope, but I find it offensive.
*The ant treats the fly badly. The fly continues to be nice, even helps the ant, and then requests to be friends with the ant. I want my kids to know that the people who you seek out as friends should treat you kindly most of the time.

[Lorie · Rating 3 out of 5]

An angry ant gets lost in the dessert and when a fly tries to help him, his disagreeableness almost gets him left behind as the fly can easily fly away. The ant’s behavior is more than rude, but the fly continues to try and may have found the cause for some of ant’s vitriol.

With frank dialogue and themes of friendship this book might better appeal to school age story programs as the older children will get the layered meaning behind the ribald (poop and hell) humor and the ending is not for the faint of heart. Unfortunately, there may be no happy ending here for our angry ant and hapless fly.

I would recommend this book for elementary and public libraries.

This book was provided by the publisher for professional review by SWON Libraries.

[Stephanie Tournas · Rating 4 out of 5]

 Anger and friendship are the themes of this odd little picture book. A severely misanthropic ant hates everyone and everything. When he finds himself lost in the desert, he meets a fly who changes his life. But don't think for a moment that the ant will change his ever-hatin' stripes. Full of exclamations and humorous adjectival quantifiers, this would be fun to read out loud, for older kids. The ending foretells an adventure/fate worth laughing about. Ruzzier's trademark pen, ink and watercolor illustrations beautifully depict the desert landscape, full of warm colors and strange and wonderful flora.

[Juliana Lee · Rating 2 out of 5]

A mean ant is bossy, ungrateful, and negative. He gets lost and immediately blames someone else, anyone else. Along comes a good hearted fly. The ant rants and raves, cursing in a just inside the lines kind of way. The ant never changes his attitude even though the fly removes a pine needle from his backside and offers to fly them away. And the reader is left thinking the ant was right all along because the fly accidentally steers them directly into the path of a spider. (I thought this would be funny, but pessimissim abounds, poor character traits, and bad influences. Not a lot of redeeming value to the story.)

[Molly Cluff (Library!) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow, this author definitely has mastered a humorous tone. Very silly story with chuckle-worthy bits of dialogue about a mean ant who gets lost in the desert and has a heated discussion with a fly he encounters. The abundant dialogue tags slowed me down a bit when trying to read this out loud, and while the point of the story is that the ant is mean and rude, a time or two his meanness is, well, abrasive, haha.

[Erin · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was surprised to see this is a 2020 publication because the art and the length harken back to an older day in children's books. Even the story approach feels dated. The ant is mean, yes he is. The fly isn't very bright, no he isn't. The story is not that interesting and the ending comes from out of nowhere, abrupt after all the time put into the rest of the story. It is not a logical or satisfying ending in the least.

[Allexus Leftwich · Rating 4 out of 5]

"One Mean Ant" depicts the story of a mean ant that strays away from home without acknowledging it and runs into a fly. The two have very different outlooks on life, but despite the ant being mean to the fly, the fly helps the ant and the two become friends. I loved the humor and the use of different literary techniques in this book. I also really enjoyed the message of an unlikely friendship forming. I would use this book to show my class how different literary techniques can provoke humor.

[Claire Cullins · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was about a mean ant and a friendly fly becoming friends. The fly taught the ant the lesson of working to try to get out of hard situations. The whole time the ant could have gotten out of the situation if he would have been friendly and open to what the fly was saying, but instead he kept trying to do things his own way. I think it teaches the importance of being open to the surroundings around us.

[John Clark · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you could imagine an Abbott & Costello routine done by insects with a Gahan Wilson ending, this would describe this very fully and colorful book perfectly. Early readers with an imagination and sense of humor will ask parents, grandparents and teachers to read this over and over. Definitely a solid addition for any library to consider.

[Becky · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a hilarious picture book that is the story of a VERY MEAN ant and what happens to him when he is stuck out in the desert with no one to help him....except a fly, who he is also mean to. Sometimes we need to learn lessons of how to be kind and this book would be a great one for teaching that lesson. Well done, Arthur Yorinks - this one is a winner!

[Deb (Readerbuzz) Nance · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maybe it's the times I live in or maybe it's where I live or maybe it's me or maybe it's some combination of all these things, but I know several people who remind me strongly of One Mean Ant. Very grumpy. Very gripey. Exceedingly prone to take offense. And I think pretty strongly that what One Mean Ant needs is a fly friend. And, if that doesn't work, a spider might be the next best option.

[Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book starts out strong with a comically grumpy ant who gets lost in the desert. He meets a very annoying fly, but they eventually become friends... sort of. This book is a bit long for story time and some of the language--while it is not swearing--it's a substitute for it, and I think that might be a little objectionable for some parents.

[Anthony · Rating 3 out of 5]

The tale of an ant so mean, and grouchy that he has no friends because of his nasty disposition. He finds himself lost in the desert, where he meets an easy going and somewhat dimwitted fly. Together they try to figure out where they are, and how to get out of the desert.

[Peacegal · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unusual, wordy picture book starring a grouchy, unpleasant ant who meets up with a clueless yet kind fly. I liked the surreal, 70s-style illustrations. The pessimistic ending seems tailored more for an adult audience than kids.

[Rebecca Caufman · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a longer than usual picture book about a grumpy ant that might make you grumpy reading all his complaints. In the story, we find the reason for his grumpiness which is good. It has a good ending for inferencing what might happen next.

[Viviane Elbee]

This book has a memorable voice and some great lines, like « where the jalapeño am I? » which I think would be very funny to place somewhere, somehow.
I think I read that this was the first in a series so I am slightly puzzled by the very unexpected ending!

[Edward Sullivan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A slapstick tale featuring a disagreeable ant.

[Annese · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Where the jalapeño am I!?" I genuinely laughed out loud.

[Victoria Schmidt · Rating 1 out of 5]

I don't understand the purpose of this book or why it ended with both characters dying.

[Oona · Rating 5 out of 5]

Five and a half stars!