Ant and Honey Bee: What a Pair! [Hardcover]

Megan McDonald (Author), G. Brian Karas (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 5 and up | Grade Level: K and up

New from the author of the Judy Moody series -- a winsome duo makes a picture-book debut Ant was getting antsy. . . .
Only a few hours left till Cricket's costume party. "What can we be for the dress-up party?" she asked her friend Honey Bee.With a little creativity and a lot of elbow grease, Ant and Honey Bee finally make a perfect, two-things-that-go-together pair of costumes for Cricket's big party. But then -- plip, plip, plip, PLIP! -- it starts to rain, and by the time they arrive, the proud pair looks more like a matching set of soggy sad sacks. Maybe, though, if they put their heads together, the quick-thinking friends can turn their mushy mess into a smashing success. What a pair! Introducing Ant and Honey Bee -- fast friends, co-costume-conspirators, and stars of a delightful new story by author Megan McDonald and illustrator G. Brian Karas.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 2–A charming book. Ant and Honey Bee are invited to Cricket's annual costume party and decide to dress up as a pair, a washer and a dryer. They cut out and decorate matching boxes, but on the way to the gathering, the other insects can't guess what they are supposed to be even when they make washer and dryer sounds. When a rainstorm hits, their cardboard costumes are ruined–until they quickly improvise new ones. The clever writing is filled with puns and lighthearted jokes. Karas's artwork, done in gouache, acrylic, and pencil, is simple and engaging, adding warmth and humor to the story. Children will enjoy reading about how friendships can help them to survive any disaster.–Sheilah Kosco, Rapides Parish Library, Alexandria, LA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

PreS-Gr. 2. Determined not to dress up as pilgrims again for Cricket's annual costume party, Ant and Honey Bee consider a number of unusual ideas (pear and stem, peanut butter and jelly, toilet paper and toilet) before deciding to go as a washer and dryer. As they walk to the party, rain turns their boxy costumes to "soggy blobs of wet cardboard," but quick-witted Honey Bee and Ant have an answer for everything, including that pesky "What are you?" query. Childlike and sympathetic, the characters' antics and conversations will have broad appeal. Karas' expressive pencil drawings, colored with gouache and acrylic paints, have a fresh, slightly quirky look that is sure to draw an audience. Most second-graders will be able to read the simple words, but even prereaders will enjoy the gentle, droll humor that infuses both text and illustrations. A pleasing story with series potential. Carolyn Phelan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Candlewick; 1st edition (February 3, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0763612650
• ISBN-13: 978-0763612658
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 7.3 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,303,535 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

10 THINGS YOU MAY NOT KNOW ABOUT ME

10. The first book I ever wrote was about a hermit crab, inspired by a pet I once owned.

9. My favorite color is purple.

8. I love to read mysteries. When I was Judy's age, I read all 56 classic Nancy Drew books . . . in order! Jeepers!

7. I used to collect scabs so I could examine them under the microscope that I got for my 8th birthday.

6. My four sisters and I often made up our own language, which included the words "Hoidi Boidi", "oogey", "retzel crummypuss" and "poony-poony".

5. My favorite TV show is JEOPARDY!

4. To research my Sisters Club book, THE RULE OF THREE, I toured San Francisco in search of the ultimate cupcake. The winner: Sleepless in San Francisco. Think chocolate + coffee.

3. When I was a kid, I fell down a hill from chasing the ice-cream truck and had to get stitches.

2. When I was a librarian, I used to tell stories in sign language. That's how I got the expression "same-same" for Judy.

1. I share a birthday (February 28) with a famous princess, race car driver and gangster, a Rolling Stone, a French tightrope walker, and a winning racehorse named Smarty Jones.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars great fall, halloween story!, September 27, 2009

By 

DD67 "babyonahill" (Virginia) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Ant and Honey Bee: What a Pair! (Hardcover)

Great story for the young and school age child about working together, keep trying, invention, halloween, dress-up. Very cute pictures and a fair amount of reading on every page. Bee and ant need to come up with a costume and every year they go as a pair. This year they struggle to come up with a really cool costume. But it all works out in the end. Very nicely done.

5.0 out of 5 stars hilarious! laugh out loud funny for parents too!, November 13, 2008

By 

bookworm - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ant and Honey Bee: What a Pair! (Hardcover)

Love this book! So funny, it makes us laugh out loud, along with our son.