The Little Ant books are reimaginings of Aesop’s classic fables, teaching timeless lessons like:

• Appearances can be deceiving (Little Ant and the Butterfly);
• Look before you leap (Little Ant Goes to a Picnic);
• You can’t please everyone (Little Ant and the Cricket);
• Even the wildest can be tamed by love (Little Ant’s Valentine);
• One good turn deserves another (Little Ant and the Dove);
• United we stand, divided we fall (Little Ant and the Peanut; released July 1, 2017, and NOW
• Every Truth Has Two Sides (Little Ant and the Dragonfly, coming November 1, 2017).

Little Ant Series Books Coming in 2018 – Books 8 – 10

• Good friends don’t desert you at the first sign of trouble (Little Ant and the Spider)
• Count your blessings (Little Ant and the Preying Mantis)
• When you do what you love, you are always at play (Little Ant and the Grasshopper)

I just finished reading this very entertaining children’s book series of  Little Ant Books by the incredibly talented author S.M.R. Saia. These moral stories follow Little Ant as he navigates through the challenges and frustrations of growing up. Each is whimsically illustrated by Tina Perko. We enjoyed the vibrant and fun illustrations in each of the books. They do a fantastic job of bringing the story to life for both the reader and the little ones being read to. Little Ant Books are written for ages two to eight and thanks to perfect editing and proofreading these stories flow smoothly without interruption or distraction.

This author cannot be praised enough it is not very often that you read a children’s book and say WOW! This is one that I couldn’t wait to share with my grandchildren. After reading the first book in the series, Little Ant and the Butterfly, I was so impressed with how well written and illustrated it was that we went to their site to see what other books were available. There not only did we find the rest of the series but also discovered that they had FREE Little Ant coloring and activity pages, worksheets, and lesson plans to reinforce and build upon what was being taught in the books. We now have the rest of this series, I’ve even pre-ordered book #6. to read to my grandchildren.

Keep reading to learn more about each of these excellent books!

Little Ant and the Butterfly is the first book in the Little Ant Books series that I just finished reading. Little Ant thinks that he is the best insect in the world. When he meets the slow caterpillar he is not impressed and tells her so. But has Little Ant judged her too soon? When the caterpillar becomes a beautiful butterfly little ant is amazed. It not only shows that being different is okay but it can be a positive thing, too. 

The second book in the Little Ant Books series is Little Ant Goes to a Picnic. In this book, Little Ant wants to bring the biggest and tastiest crumbs back to the anthill. But Uncle Ant tells him only the biggest and most experienced ants can go and little ant wants to show everyone that he is a big ant. He follows their trail and rushes into a picnic before the humans have left. He soon discovers that gathering food at a picnic is a dangerous job! Instead of proving to the others that he is a big ant he only proves that he is not ready for the responsibility.

Third in the Little Ant Books series is Little Ant and the Cricket. In this book, Little Ant sets out to prove cricket wrong when he declares that ants aren’t any fun. Soon Little Ant is admired by the grasshoppers, the cockroaches, the katydids, and the crickets. Uncle Ant shares his wisdom with Little Ant when he admits that trying to please everybody makes him miserable. Little Ant misses doing all the things that ants do and he wants to act like an ant again. That was fun!

Little Ant’s Valentine, fourth in the series, addresses the issues which many children face around this holiday – feeling unliked and wanting to be special.  Because none of the girls in the anthill like him, Little Ant hates Valentine’s Day. So while the other ants are busy getting ready for Valentine’s Day he keeps busy working alone. He has nothing to celebrate until he meets a pretty ant who is much like Little Ant himself. Little Ant soon realizes that you don’t have to be perfect to deserve a Valentine and sets out to find the perfect one for the pretty ant.

In the fifth Little Ant Books series book, Little Ant and the Dove, Little Ant says that he is too busy to do a favor for the weevil. Even commenting that he doubts the weevil would ever be able to repay him anyway when his friend tells him he could have helped. However, while helping Little Ant find a blackeye pea that he saw his friend, the stick bug, is suddenly snatched by a dove and woven into her nest. Although Little Ant is small, he helps the dove and saves his friend! Having learned his lesson, Little Ant helps the weevil. While humbled by the experience, the stick insect stays close to his friends.

I had the pleasure of reading, the soon to be released, sixth book in this entertaining and educational series, Little Ant and the Peanut. The storerooms are nearly empty and the ants are forced to scout for food. When Little Ant finds a peanut in the snow, he’s determined to be a hero and bring it back to the anthill all by himself. Overconfident he soon finds himself in trouble and discovers that some great things can only be accomplished by working together! Safely back at the hill with food for the entire colony, he is proud of what they accomplished with their teamwork.

I believe it’s never too early to start reading to a child so I say this series would make a wonderful baby shower gift for a Mom-To-Be and after reading the entire series I would recommend it with confidence for children as old as the second or third grade.