One Mean Ant with Fly and Flea and Moth

One Mean Ant #3

by Arthur Yorinks, Sergio Ruzzier (Illustrator)

Can this band of disgruntled circus stars find their escape? With a third slapstick tale, comedy team Arthur Yorinks and Sergio Ruzzier present a satisfying--and surprising--final act.

Well, here they are again. The ant, the fly, and the flea. Stuck doing tricks for the circus-goers every night and twice on Sundays. Stuck like a . . . well, you know. But with the help of Moth, a fellow performer with a pretty spectacular trick, the four plan their escape. Will it work? Can you teach an old moth not to fly into a light bulb? In a third tale buzzing with wordplay and wacky-eyed insects, acclaimed playwright and author Arthur Yorinks, together with award-winning illustrator Sergio Ruzzier, presents a hilarious (and unexpectedly heartfelt) finale to the series about the meanest ant ever and his buggy "friends."

Genres: Picture Books

48 pages, Hardcover

Published October 26, 2021

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

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Back with Mean Ant again and with friends Fly and Flea plus a new one, Moth, Arthur Yorinks tells of more shenanigans as they gripe and moan about being caged so they can perform in Big Jim's Circus! They, like other prisoners, have little to eat and nowhere to go, but across the cage. Sergio Ruzzier manages to illustrate every emotion from his creative creatures. Amid the silly, but expected, arguments, Ant has a brilliant idea. When Moth performs, it's expected to 'turn into the light' (like all moths, right?). Instead, he'll fly to grab the others so they can fly away. You'll need to read to discover if the idea really works, or if Ant is foiled and mean again. It's a more complicated story than it sounds with jokes and innuendo splattered here and there. (Oops, perhaps I shouldn't have written "splattered".)
Thanks to Candlewick Press for this copy!

[Erin · Rating 1 out of 5]

Awful. I fell asleep reading it two times. The language is ponderous, and the art is the same on practically every page: insects standing arguing with each other or being unintelligent in a very not-funny way. I would not recommend this book to anyone.

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mean hearted, creepily illustrated, story about three (or four) friends fighting.
I think I've missed something by not reading the book that came before this.

This would make a funny read aloud for older kids.

[Andréa]

Note: I accessed a digital review copy of this book through Edelweiss.

[Jj · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fun read, and one that I think would work quite well for a Reader's Theater. There is a very vaudeville/stage repartee feel to the banter and energy here.