The Grasshopper's Song: An Aesop's Fable Revisited [Hardcover]

Nikki Giovanni (Author), Chris Raschka (Illustrator)

Book Description

Grade Level: K and up

Artfully retold by a renowned poet and illustrated with energy and charm by a Caldecott Medalist, this twist on an Aesop fable is as witty as
it is satisfying.

Every year the Grasshoppers sing and play their instruments and the Ants work in rhythm to the music. The crops come up smoothly, and the Ants bring in the harvest to the Grasshoppers’ beat. But when winter comes, the Ants turn their backs on the Grasshoppers, and Jimmy Grasshopper finds this unfair. He’s hired Robin, Robin, Robin, and Wren to sue Abigail and Nestor Ant for what he deserves — R-E-S-P-E-C-T — and a one-half share of the harvest. But will a jury of his peers agree about the worth of art?

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. Every year the same thing happens. The Grasshoppers sing, the Ants work in rhythm, the crops come up smoothly, and when winter comes, the Ants turn their backs. So claim four attorneys in Giovanni's (On My Journey Now) revision of Aesop's fable, a shrewd evaluation of the value of art. Jimmy Grasshopper hires the firm of Robin, Robin, Robin and Wren to sue Nestor and Abigail Ant. The trial begins in spring, presided over by Judge Owl and a jury of mammals, birds and insects. For all her amusing animal characters, Giovanni investigates complex issues. Of course my clients enjoyed [Grasshopper's songs]. Who doesn't enjoy a clown? says the Ants' lawyer. Must everything be in the marketplace? counters the Grasshopper, who performed without a written contract. To illustrate Giovanni's detailed and insightful prose, Raschka (Grump Groan Growl, reviewed below) creates evocative, earth-tone watercolors that suggest camouflage; his dapple-brown images set the scenes in forest undergrowth. Little litigants and their elders will enjoy mulling over the debate. All ages. (May)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From School Library Journal

Grade 2–5—"The Ant and the Grasshopper" is Aesop's moralistic story about working hard in order to reap rewards. In this version, Grasshopper finds himself shut out of a share of the harvest once again and decides to sue the Ants. After all, he serenaded them as they worked all summer long and it was the rhythm of his music that helped them stay on task and bring in a significant harvest. The Ants never actually asked him to play, though, did they? Lawyers take the case and the fable's focus shifts from the value of hard work to the important place that art holds in our lives. The book is reminiscent of Toni and Slade Morrison's Who's Got Game? The Ant or the Grasshopper? (S & S, 2007), and both titles lend themselves to a serious debate about the value of art. Pairing the two, given their different endings, would enrich the discussion greatly. This version would make a powerful reader's theater for students to role-play following discussion. Raschka's watercolors keep this story solidly in the realm of fable while Giovanni's words make it somewhat more realistic. This version of the story would work well across the elementary grades because of its length and the sophistication of theme.—Joan Kindig, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 56 pages
• Publisher: Candlewick; First Edition edition (May 13, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0763630217
• ISBN-13: 978-0763630218
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 0.4 x 8.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,247,889 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Disappointed, May 28, 2008

By 

Susan Brodesser (West Chester, Pennsylvania United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Grasshopper's Song: An Aesop's Fable Revisited (Hardcover)

I don't understand how an author as accomplished as Nikki Giovanni could write such a clunker. The characters aren't compelling, the trial setting and court procedures are too dry and/or unfamiliar to be engaging for young readers and, with a few exceptions, the dialogue is pedestrian. Forty years ago Leo Lionni's endearing "Frederick" answered the important question of what value the artist brings to his community much more lyrically, gently, and succinctly and in a beautiful form congruent with its message. "The Grasshopper's Song" falls extremely short in comparison.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Hey, kids! Let's learn to be a bum!, July 19, 2008

By 

kevin m antonio (rumford, ri United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Grasshopper's Song: An Aesop's Fable Revisited (Hardcover)

The other reviewer hit it perfectly: 'Frederick' was much better about dealing with art and society.

Now for my rant. So the grasshopper decides to sue the ants because they were listening to him play while they worked... even though they did not ask him to do so (reminded me of street performers: just because you may be in their presence doesn't mean you have to pay them). They DID tell him that he should be gathering for the winter, because ants, like ALL responsible people, know there's a time to work and a time to play.
As soon as I saw the word "reparations", I knew the outcome... and was not disappointed, unfortunately. The grasshopper gets half of the ants' harvest... and for what? Fooling around, being indigent, being a bum. "I'm gonna play my flute and gets de welfare!" In real life if you were sued for such nonsense would you tolerate the verdict?

Now I'm all for art, being a struggling artist, but I think it'd be ridiculous for me to stand in a museum and charge people to look at my work for x minutes ("Hey, pal, the meter's running!") or sue them because they were in my work's presence.

Argh! This book made me so angry. My wife read it to my daughter, and my little one was smart enough to figure out the ending was b.s.

Aesop's The Ants and the Grasshopper was/is perfectly fine... but I guess it's not p.c. enough for these times. Too bad. The original has a great lesson for real life.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars The Grasshopper's Song by Nikki Giovanni, August 25, 2008

By 

Nancy Buscher - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Grasshopper's Song: An Aesop's Fable Revisited (Hardcover)

I have two comments on the story. First, this is not simply an interesting update to an old fable - it's a political statement. The grasshopper is not a shiftless bum, but more like a street entertainer. He uses his talent with the hope that someone will enjoy his work enough to pay him. Times haven't changed that much. Sports figures - who, by the way are also using their talent with the hope that someone will pay them - are overpaid while writers, artists and musicians (teachers, policemen and others) struggle for meager wages. My second comment is that, although this is beautifully illustrated and a well written and clever story, it is not written for second and third grade children.