Jacob would rather play with his trains than get dressed and go shopping. But when he reluctantly prepares to put on his pants, he finds they are full of ants! Much to his delight—and much to Mum’s consternation—each ensuing piece of clothing contains a creature or two as well—a fox in his socks, geese in his fleece, kittens in his mittens, and so on . . . and it seems as though Jacob will never be fully dressed. But then the promise of newly fallen snow tempts him outside, and Mum gets a surprise of her own when she goes to put on her hat. Genuine toddler humor and simple rhymes guarantee that this lively tale will be a hit, especially with young children still refining their dressing skills.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Jacob would much rather stick around the house in his pajamas and play with his toy train than go shopping with his mother. So he counters her attempts to roust him with a chronic case of the sillies. Asked to put on his trousers, the boy responds, "I can't. I have ants in my pants" and in his mind's eye, he sees a picnic's worth of insects crawling up his legs. The imaginary menagerie occupying Jacob's wardrobe grows: there's a fox in his socks, a goat in his coat and even newts in his boots. The woman's initial chipperness is almost exhausted when she discovers a new snowfall outside, and wisely postpones shopping for a frolic with her son and his pretend partners in procrastination. Mould, a British sculptor making her debut in children's books, unfolds her battle of wills in a series of neatly rendered, slightly cartoonish watercolor and ink vignettes. Much of the book's charm resides in how natural the burgeoning population of clothes-loving animals look in Jacob's house. Ages 3-6.
Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
From School Library Journal
reS-Gr 2-On a cold winter morning, Jacob settles down to play with his toy trains in front of a cozy fire. When his mother asks him to get dressed to go shopping, he is reluctant to leave and tries to delay the inevitable. First he insists that there are ants in his pants, but his mother makes him put them on anyway. Next, Jacob finds a fox in his socks, geese in his fleece shirt, a goat in his coat, etc., until he is finally almost ready, and Mum is just about at the end of her patience. When the boy discovers that snow has fallen, he quickly pulls on his hat and mittens and races out the door to play, accompanied by his imaginary menagerie. Mum agrees to cancel the shopping trip and goes back inside to get her hat, which is being occupied by the family cat. The straightforward language, a repeated refrain, and rhyming words make this story fun to read aloud. The appealing watercolor artwork, outlined with black ink, is filled with the details of everyday life. Mould uses muted tones for backgrounds and highlights the characters with brighter hues. Some illustrations show Jacob and his smiling new friends interacting together, while others focus on his mother's growing impatience. Observant viewers will notice that most of the animals the boy conjures up are introduced early on as part of his train set. A clever take on a common battle of the wills between parent and child.
Joy Fleishhacker, formerly at School Library Journal
Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Loved it!,
By LeeAnn Tebben (MN) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Ants in my Pants (Hardcover)
My 4 year old daughter loved this book. She wanted to read it again and again. Great, story with the right amount of repetition and cute pictures. My daughter was able to 'read' it by memory after a few times and I loved seeing her be independant with the book. I am buying one for a gift too.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Exactly what I wanted!,
By Proud Mom (South Carolina) - See all my reviews
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Ants in my Pants (Hardcover)
My son checked this book out at the library and fell in love with it! It is a very cute, book told in rhyme. My son was VERY excited to open this gift on Christmas day! It was delivered quick and without any problems!
5.0 out of 5 stars
A terrific book for reading aloud to young children!,
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Ants in my Pants (Hardcover)
After I read this to my 2 year old grandson, Sean, who already owned it,
I purchased 2 more copies for my grandaughter, Lucy, and the grandaughters of a friend. The book is a joy to read aloud! The illustrations are great! You don't even mind reading it over and over again! Nicely humorous, but the situation, a mother trying to get her son to get dressed to go out when he doesn't want to, feels realistic. Enjoy!
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Inside This Book
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First Sentence:
It was a cold winter's morning, but indoors it was warm and cozy. Read the first page New!
Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Front Flap | First Pages | Back Flap | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
It was a cold winter's morning, but indoors it was warm and cozy. Read the first page New!
Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Front Flap | First Pages | Back Flap | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
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