ABOUT THE BOOK: The Ants go Marching *Order from Chapters/Indigo, Amazon.ca or Amazon.com*
From the Publisher:
The ants go marching one by one,
Hurrah! Hurrah!
Preschoolers will delight in this fun, repetitious rhyme with adorable ant characters. Watch as they march one by one, two by two, and all the way up to five by five toward a surprise ending! Priscilla Burris’s distinctive ants put a new spin on a favourite preschool song.
Count-and-Sing books introduce preschoolers to math concepts in an interactive and engaging way.
Description:
The familiar song is set at a picnic spot (where are the humans – hiding under shelter from the rain?) where the ants are making off with the spoils from someone’s outdoor lunch. Each two-page spread shows the requisite number of ants carrying the food back to their home. Pages are embellished with silver foil for the raindrops. It is a straightforward book geared to help introduce small children to numeracy.
My Experience:
All three of my kids loved listening to and singing along with this book. They had heard the song, of course, but loved the connection of the ants to the picnic. It was obviously memorable, as we had a picnic last week, and my three-year-old started singing the song when she saw an ant near our blanket! I love that they are learning their numbers while enjoying a book/song.
Likes:
- using a picnic as a setting for the story/song
- simple, yet beautiful illustrations – pages not too overcrowded
Dislikes:
- skipping some of the repetition from the song (probably necessary due to restrictions on length of board book)
Why/How Use it with kids:
- make up words for the missing sections and draw the pictures. Listen to a version of the song to see what is missing
- carry on past the number 5 – maybe go to 10 or 15. Draw the food that the ants would be carrying
- sing the song when you are out on a picnic or eating a meal. What food would the ants be able to carry? How many would it take to carry the heavier items? Take a guess (estimation)
About the Author:
Priscilla Burris was born and raised in Southern California, and has enjoyed being an artist from a very early age. Her education experience includes degrees in Fashion Illustration (FIDM) and Early Childhood Education. Priscilla has illustrated numerous books and materials for children, parents and teachers.
~Erin
Leave a Reply