Description: "When the music starts playing, everyone can dance... except the ants. They can lift, build, and dig, so why can't they twirl, dip, and jig? As the ants try to dance, they discover they are better together in this toe-tapping tale of cooperation and teamwork."--Back cover.
Brief description: Susan Rich Brooke wrote her first book at age six about a mysterious professor with a magical cat, and from there her career path was set. She is a writer, editor, and mother of two grown children, and she lives in Evanston, Illinois, with her talented husband and two fluffy pups.
Review Quotes:
Discouraged by their inability to dance, ants resort to what they do best.
Waiting for a picnic lunch, ants hear music and try to dance, but with three sticky left feet (why their right feet are not sticky is never explained), they can't swing, shimmy, shrug, or even dance the jitterbug. Toting picnic remains in a long, straight line, the ants encounter a squirrel shaking her tail. The ants ask the squirrel to teach them dance moves, but they can't shake, twist, or twirl. Marching along and building a bridge across a puddle, the ants meet a beaver waving its paws. They ask the beaver for some dance tips, but they can't clap, tap, or jig. Marching into the woods and digging an anthill, the ants encounter a bird with flapping feathers. They ask the bird for guidance, but they can't dip, flip, or fly. They are ready to abandon their dancing dream until one ant suggests they dance as a team. The jaunty, rhyming text creates forward momentum, echoing the relentless ant procession across the pages in lines. Rendered in brilliant hues, the comic illustrations track the bug-eyed, blue ants in their striped turtlenecks from ground-level close-ups to aerial views of them line dancing in formation. Their hilarious facial expressions capture frustrations and angst when they can't seem to dance and sheer joy when they precision perform like Rockettes.Perky tale of perseverance and problem-solving. (Picture book. 3-7)--Kirkus Reviews "https: //www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/susan-rich-brooke/the-ants-who-couldnt-dance/" (9/15/2021 12:00:00 AM)