After the long winter, people look eagerly forward to spring. Everything seems to be lovely until a heavy rain falls. Then people sometimes find ants scurrying across their kitchen countertops. This usually is a most unwelcome sight. Some people take this ant invasion personally and attack the insects with powerful sprays. Others try using natural spices such as cinnamon and bay leaves to keep the tiny pests away. But one thing people rarely do is ask why the invasion has happened to begin with. What might be in the ants’ hearts and minds, compelling them to come into your home? What is their point of view? The renowned children’s writer/illustrator Chris Van Allsburg provides an interesting possibility to account for the home invasion in the delightful tale, "Two Bad Ants."
A scout ant returns to the anthill carrying a remarkable shiny crystal. The dogged ant presents this odd-shaped object to the queen ant. After she tastes the delicious sweetness of the present, she eats the entire crystal. Oh, she must have more of this exquisite delight! The ants of the colony are only too happy to please their mother. Dozens of them soon set out on the perilous journey to find more of these wonderful, mouthwatering stones. They trudge through field after field of towering grass canopies, all the while fearing an attack from hungry spiders. But the scout ant keeps leading them closer and closer to their far-off destination. At last they arrive at what appears to be a mountain. It seems to be made of bricks, and after a daunting climb they arrive at a square of glass, surrounded by a wooden frame. The scout shows them a tunnel under the wooden frame. Squeezing between the wood and the bricks, the ants walk down a wall and onto an immense flat surface. This whole area smells and looks so strange that the ants want to quickly get the shiny rocks and leave. The brave scout leads the ants to an odd-shaped glass dome named SUGAR. Sensing their prize is inside the glass bowl, the ants doggedly climb up the steep, curved sides and choose a beautiful crystal. As soon as they have taken their treasure, the ants leave the odd room and begin their long and dangerous journey home. That is except two small, disobedient ants. They begin eating crystal after crystal until they are completely stuffed. Then they fall asleep. As light begins to break through this strange-looking room, a silver shovel is plunged into the glass SUGAR dome. They are scooped up and plunged into a bitter, swirling brown sea. The shovel spins them around in a dizzy circle and then they are tipped sharply and begin to be hurled into a dark, frightening cave. The two naughty ants hang on for dear life.
Do the ants drown in the hot brown lake? Are they sucked into the cave? What happens when they take shelter in a toaster? Is it really such a good idea to eat all the sweet crystals you can? Have you ever had too much of a good thing? What did you find out? What do the ants learn? To discover the exciting conclusion to this book, go to the library and check out "Two Bad Ants" by Chris Van Allsburg.
This is a delightful story to share with your younger family members. Children will enjoy the storyline and the troubles the ants create. This is not "transforming" literature, but rather a first rate rollicking adventure. I hope you get a chance to read this book with young children. I will bet you will enjoy the tale. Have fun!
