Juan Hormiga
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- $23.99
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- $23.99
Publisher Description
A whimsical tale in which family lore inspires newfound daring, told by Argentina's sleepiest ant
Juan Hormiga, the greatest storyteller of his entire anthill, loves to recount his fearless grandfather's adventures. When Juan and his fellow ants gather around for storytime, he hypnotizes all with tales of his grandfather's many exploits - including his escape from an eagle's talons and the time he leapt from a tree with just a leaf for a parachute. When he's through telling these tales, Juan loves to cozy up for a nice long nap. He's such a serious napper that he takes up to ten siestas every day! Though well loved by his ant friends, Juan decides telling tales and sleeping aren't quite enough for him - it's time to set off on his own adventure. With whimsical, irresistible illustrations, Juan Hormiga affirms the joys of sharing stories, and of creating your own out in the world.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Juan Hormiga is an ant with two skills: his impressive napping and his hypnotic storytelling. In scribbly lines against lots of white space, Roldán draws the protagonist, a red ant, and his peers, black ants, as cartoonlike characters with googly eyes and large mandibles. Juan Hormiga's stories all center his intrepid grandfather—an ant who traveled and faced great danger, "the bravest creature to ever set foot in any anthill." Though the other ants have memorized Juan Hormiga's grandfather's achievements, they love to hear the tales retold. One day, though, Juan Hormiga announces his intention to strike out alone, reenacting the brave feats his grandfather tackled before him. After he departs, and it starts to rain, the ants begin to worry, building narrative tension by recounting the mythical stories: "Maybe he's going down into the ravine, hanging from a spider's thread. His grandfather did that." With a funny ending, a nested telling, and a folktale's meandering charm, this story has the same hypnotic draw as Juan Hormiga's own. Ages 5–8.
