Hey, Little Ant
By Phillip Hoose & Hannah Hoose
Illustrated by Debbie Tilley
Published by Tricycle Press, Random House Inc.
Over 1 million copies sold!
Hey, little ant down in the crack
Can you hear me? Can you talk back?
See my shoe, can you see that?
Well now it’s gonna squish you flat!
Written first as a song in 1992 by Phillip Hoose and his then 9-year-old daughter, Hannah, “Hey, Little Ant” is a rhyming dialogue staged beneath an upraised shoe. The song’s lyrics became a picture book illustrated by Debbie Tilley six years later when it was published by Tricycle Press. The protagonists of the story are a plucky Ant and the Kid about to carelessly squish it.
Tension builds as the ant states a compelling case for its survival while the kid’s friends gather round to taunt the kid for hesitating. The final line of the book is a question–“What do you think that kid should do?”–leaving the decision squarely in the hands of the reader.
Because the book asks children to decide the outcome, it has proved to be a widely used “icebreaker” for educators and caregivers to discuss with children everything from bullying to the use of force to the ethical treatment of animals. Because of the universality of the message, the book has been translated into 10 different languages and has sold over one million copies.
Hannah Hoose
Hannah Hoose teaches first and second grade in Seattle, Washington. Her favorite subject to teach is writing, and she loves to read mysteries. In her free time, Hannah loves playing piano, dancing, biking, eating vegan food, watching theater, making pop-up cards, playing games, and hanging out with her friends and family. She lives with two cats- Jinkxy, who would lick your nose if she met you, and Katniss, who would run and hide.
