My Never Ending List

I love this story, this fable about the grasshopper that would rather spend his time playing and having a great time than thinking about his future. As the ants around him hastily gather supplies for the winter, grasshopper can’t understand why their work is so extensive. The grasshopper is having a wonderful time enjoying his life: his day is full of picnics, fishing, jumping in the leaves, playing in the snow and playing his musical instruments. The grasshopper is not flaunting his activity or being selfish in his actions as he asks the ants numerous times to join him but the ants being steadfast in their work, tell him that they have a task to complete. As the snow falls, the ants disappear and grasshopper finds himself, all alone. Grasshopper is lonely. Finding a tree with a soft yellow glow, he approaches it. Peering inside a window, he sees the ants and they see him, all alone out in the cold. Can they leave him out in the snow by himself as they enjoy their benefits from their hard work?  

As they gathered their supplies, the grasshopper enjoys being with the ants, he is like their entertainment as they struggled to meet their deadline. Carrying around his instruments on his back, and commenting on the world around them, he is making them aware of the world around them. As he plays a tune on his instruments and tells them what he sees, he is making their work easier. I liked the text in this children’s book and the colors they used for it, it made the story fun to read. I found the illustrations a bit overwhelming and busy. I realize that this reflected the activity of the ants but some of the illustrations were way too much for me. I enjoyed the Artist’s Note in the back of the book, explaining the moral of the story as not everyone understands morals.