My Brother, Ant (Penguin Young Readers, L3) [Paperback]

Betsy Byars (Author), Marc Simont (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 1998 | Age Level: 5 and up | Grade Level: K and up | Series: Penguin Young Readers, L3

Level 3. This story presents a warm, funny relationship between a boy and his sweet, sometimes annoying, younger brother Ant (short for Anthony).

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Ages 5 & up. This book for beginning readers is a perfect match between a Newbery award-winning author and a Caldecott award-winning illustrator. Told in the first person, the four short chapters depict a warm, funny relationship between a boy and his sweet but sometimes pesky younger brother. Readers will enjoy the dry humor of the narrative, the likeable characters and the expressive and fanciful illustrations. In a starred review, Booklist wrote, "The pictures are achingly affectionate... the economy of line and language will grab new readers." --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly

It may not earn Byars (Summer of the Swans) another Newbery Medal or Simont (A Tree Is Nice) another Caldecott, but this volume is tailor-made for kids just beginning to read on their own. For starters, they will immediately take to the admirably tolerant narrator, whose feisty younger brother, Ant (short for Anthony), would test any sibling's patience. In these snippets, the older boy chases a monster from under Ant's bed; copes with an indecipherable picture that someone (guess who?) has drawn on his homework paper; reads Ant a fairy tale; and plays scribe when Ant dictates a letter to Santa . . . in July. Told with brevity, in simply constructed sentences and controlled vocabulary, these four vignettes are full of homespun warmth and easy-going humor. Echoing the good-natured narrative, Simont's straightforward pictures do a commendable job of helping to relay the plots-a big plus in fiction for this audience. Ages 6-9.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Paperback: 32 pages
• Publisher: Penguin Young Readers; Reissue edition (January 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 014038345X
• ISBN-13: 978-0140383454
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 0.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #936,768 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #25 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > Authors & Illustrators, A-Z > ( B ) > Byars, Betsy
  • #26 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > Authors & Illustrators, A-Z > ( S ) > Simont, Marc

More About the Author

Betsy Byars began her writing career rather late in life First, she married and started a family. The writing career didn't emerge until she was 28, a mother of two children, and living in a small place she called the barracks apartment, in Urbana, Illinois. She and her husband, Ed, had moved there in 1956 so he could attend graduate school at the University of Illinois. She was bored, had no friends, and so turned to writing to fill her time. Byars started writing articles for The Saturday Evening Post, Look,and other magazines. As her family grew and her children started to read, she began to write books for young people and, fortunately for her readers, discovered that there was more to being a writer than sitting in front of a typewriter. "Once a wanderer came by my house and showed me how to brush my teeth with a cherry twig; that went in The House of WingsThe Summer of the Swans." Since that time, Byars has written more than 45 books for young readers and has won numerous awards, including The American Book Award, which she received in 1981 for The Night Swimmers. The humor, compassion, and insight Byars brings to each of her books won her a large audience of admirers both in the United States and abroad. Six of her novels were presented on national television, and her books are translated into nine languages. Six of Byars' novels have been named ALA Notable Books, and in 1971, The Summer of the Swans -- a story about a 14-year-old girl and her mentally retarded brother -- won the Newbery Award as the most distinguished contribution to literature for children in the year of its publication. Byars was born in Charlotte, North Carolina, on August 7, 1928. Unlike many of the characters in her books, Byars grew up in a normal, loving family. Her father was an engineer and worked as a bookkeeper in a cotton mill. He was stern and hardworking and had a strong sense of humor. Her mother was a lively woman who loved acting and music. Byars's sister, Nancy, two years older, was sometimes an inspiration and sometimes an evil nemesis. Byars has always been adventurous and never allows a few setbacks to prevent her from doing things she wants to experience, like petting a blacksnake and flying planes. The snake was named Moon and became the subject of her 1991 autobiography, The Moon and I. Betsy Byars and her husband live on an air strip in South Carolina, and have traveled widely throughout the United States in pursuit of their interest in gliding and antique airplanes. They have four grown children and seven grandchildren.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Appeals to two ages of readers, April 15, 1998

By 

Mary Lou Derksen (South Dakota) - See all my reviews

This review is from: My Brother, Ant (Easy-to-Read,Viking)

"My Brother, Ant" has the stories of the boy who is afraid of the monster under his bed, who draws a picture on his brother's homework, who insists his brother read a story the way it's written, and who writes a thank you letter to Santa in July. It is also the story of his older brother who vanquishes the monster, who finds a solution to the picture on his homework, who finally begins to read the story the way it's written, and who takes dictation of the letter to Santa. This book accomplishes something that most easy readers do not: it appeals to the younger child for whom this level of readers are generally written, but it also appeals to a slower reader of an age group several years older. Ingeniously, it has all of the best features of an easy reader: many sight words but an easy vocabulary--including recognizable compound words, and short sentences amidst a lot of space on the pages. Best of all, it's funny, and the dialog and pictures are magnificent!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My 6 year old son was roaring with laughter!, April 26, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: My Brother, Ant (Easy-to-Read,Viking)

What a delight! This book humerously delivers anecdotes of "brotherly love"! As a mother of two boys, I found it very endearing. My oldest son must have been able to relate to Ant's big brother's methods of tender teasing. I've never seen him laugh so hard. Hurray Besty Cromer Byars, we'll be looking for more of your cleverly written "brother" stories!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Small words, BIG story..., April 15, 1998

By 

Karma Wilson - See all my reviews

This review is from: My Brother, Ant (Easy-to-Read,Viking)

My Brother, Ant, written by the great Betsy Byars, and Illustrated by Marc Simont, is sure to be just the ticket to encourage your child to enjoy reading. Unlike the sing-songy, uneventful easy readers of days past, this story is delightful and engaging.

Ant's older brother tells the story, and while he is often exasperated by his younger siblings "ANT-ics", the love shines through. The words are simple, but they are woven skillfully to create an enjoyable read. Mix that with the humorous, jump off the page illustrations and you've got a winner!