Five carpenter ants at home in their tree stump hear a noise. What is it? One ant thinks it is a hungry aardvark lurking outside the stump, just waiting to eat them. One ant makes a hole in the stump to see. Orange light floods the stump—it’s not an aardvark, proclaims the ant chorus. It’s orange! So what is lurking outside the stump? This very funny picture book features die-cut holes on almost every page, suspenseful page turns, a wonderful surprise ending, and an introduction to a rainbow of colors.
resources
It’s an Orange Aardvark teaching guide
awards and recognition
California Young Reader Medal nominee 2017
Minnesota Book Award finalist 2015
Minnesota Star of the North Picture Book Award nominee 2015
Texas 2×2 Reading List 2015
Greenwillow Books, 2014, 40 pages, hardcover 978-0-06225-206-7
paperback 978-1-3382-2262-3
publishing links: local bookstore : barnes & noble : amazon
selected reviews
“Michael Hall’s It’s an Orange Aardvark! dances from one surprise to the next.”
“Amid the hilarity and hyperventilation, the book also serves as an entertaining introduction to the colors of the rainbow, as the ants put each color in context (‘Red like a fire truck’) that readers will readily grasp.”
Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
“Hall’s latest outing is entertaining both for its unusual cast of characters and its amusing yarn-spinning.”
School Library Journal
“Get ready to have another go-to favorite to pair with cherished titles like Carle’s The Very Hungry Caterpillar (Penguin, 1969) and Ehlert’s Color.”
Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
“Get ready for some hilarity and hijinks as five ants discover what’s really outside their stump home in this die-cut offering from Hall. … Suspenseful and entertaining; all-around great fun. (Picture book. 3-8)”
