Through the Looking Glass Children's Book Reviews
I saw an ant in a parking lot
Illustrator: Macky Pamintuan
For ages 3 to 6
Sterling, 2007 ISBN: 978-1402738234
Dorothy Mott is having a quiet morning contemplating the parking lot that she watches over. Nothing much is happening when she notices that a small ant is making its way across the lot and that a red minivan loaded down with “mom, two kids, and tiny tot” are heading straight for it. For some reason the idea that the poor ant is about to “vanish in a tarry spot” on this hot August morning is more that Dorothy (Dot) can stand. Something must be done to save the ant from an untimely end and Dot has just the tool for the job – a doughnut.
Written in a deliciously funny verse this picture book is sure to have readers smiling from ear to ear as they turn the last page. It is hard not to cringe just a little as we watch the minivan heading for the sleepy-eyed and utterly oblivious ant as it walks across the open space of the parking lot, and it is equally hard not to cheer as Dot saves the day with her brilliant rescue plan.
Wonderfully written, and illustrated with great humor from both a human’s point of view and from an ant’s point of view, this is a one of a kind picture book. Readers who enjoy this book might like to look at “I saw ant on the railroad track” also written by Joshua Prince and illustrated by Macky Pamintuan
