Ant Story

December 4, 2023
Through the lens of a charismatic cartoon ant born into a colony of realistically rendered leafcutter ants, biologist and cartoonist Hosler (The Way of the Hive) highlights entomological wonders and examines how humans seek to understand nature through storytelling in this informative and danger-filled graphic novel. As the only talking ant in the colony, Rubi passes the time in her subterranean agricultural palace by telling stories to silent worker ants chopping leaves for their fungus garden, a food source and
larvae nursery. Seeking companionship, Rubi leaves the colony, only to face myriad perils. While under attack by a camouflaged lizard, Rubi saves Miranda, another talking insect. Together, the new friends flee the “death tongue,” avoid unfriendly ants, and fall into an antlion’s trap. When Rubi discovers that Miranda may be a phorid, an insect that lays its egg inside an ant’s head, she must decide if she can risk remaining friends with her species’s mortal enemy. Vibrant drawings and Hosler’s enthusiasm and knowledge of the natural world combine to form this cheerfully gross depiction of how ants feed and incubate larvae, preserve food, or become food sources themselves, with poop playing a pivotal role in many of Rubi’s activities. Ages 8–12. Agent: Judith Hansen, Hansen Literary Management. (Mar.) ■

Starred review from January 1, 2024
A small leafcutter ant with a flair for dramatic recitations squires a new friend through a fantastically dangerous rain forest world. Being a "cartoon ant" who can talk (and talk), Rubi has had a lonely time of it. Her larger, nonverbal ant sisters scurry busily about cutting up leaves and cultivating underground fungus gardens rather than paying her (or even her melodramatic accounts of ant colony life) any mind. That all changes, though, when Rubi meets an ant who likewise talks but seems newly awakened and unaware that there are "a gajillion ways to die out here." The breathless ensuing odyssey provides quick and continuing proof of the danger, with the two barely surviving threats from swarming army ants and a chameleon's (as Rubi puts it) "DEATH TONGUE!" to voracious antlions and a gut-slurping assassin bug. Not to mention serious friction when Rubi's ballad about a type of parasitic fly that lays its eggs in ant bodies to hatch, feed, and grow ("Once there was a horrid phorid / flying in the sky...") gets an unexpectedly strong reaction from her mysterious new acquaintance. The development of the pair's improbable bond becomes a storyline every bit as enthralling as the teeming, vividly depicted tropical milieu, with its rich arrays of intricate, clearly laid-out biological cycles and patterns. Bright red Rubi is easy to track through the graphic panels' luxuriant and otherwise accurately detailed flora and fauna. A must-read for lovers of ants, ecosystems...and unlikely friendships. (Graphic fantasy/nonfiction. 8-11)

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March 1, 2024
Hosler's distinct combination of biological science and cartooning is on full display throughout this informative, emotionally compelling, and skillfully illustrated graphic novel. Rubi is a bright red cartoon leafcutter ant living in the real world among other, more realistic ants, where no one can understand any of her dramatically told stories. When she happens upon an ant named Miranda who can both understand and respond to her, the two become fast friends. In a genuinely shocking turn of events, Miranda is revealed to be a parasitic phorid fly growing inside the host ant's head -- and therefore Rubi's mortal enemy. In a world where every creature (including assassin bugs, armadillos, ocellated antbirds, and yes, even leafcutter ants) must kill something else to survive, Rubi realizes not only that Miranda did nothing wrong by simply existing but also that "there are no good guys or bad guys in nature." The pair proceeds to survive several harrowing and humorous encounters with fascinating predators of varying shapes and sizes, resulting in a desire to test their luck with adventures abroad. The colorful illustrations are penciled and inked by hand in a fluid black line, complemented by Hosler's own expressive lettering. For a narrative packed with so much scientific information (usually delivered by the verbose Rubi), the story never bogs down thanks to Hosler's knack for snappy dialogue, excellent pacing, and adventurous use of panel size, shape, and layout. Thoroughly engrossing. Patrick Gall

(Copyright 2024 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

April 1, 2024

Gr 3-7-Meet Rubi, "a cartoon ant who was born into a colony of real leaf-cutter ants." As the only cartoon ant in the colony, Rubi is the only one who speaks. She describes the colony to readers, explaining how the ants grow food underground, communicate with smells, and other incredible facts. When the ants go out to gather leaves, Rubi continues to describe their abilities and daily activities, as well as pointing out the dangers lurking outside the anthill. Once Rubi meets Miranda, who also talks, they have one adventure after another, avoiding all those dangers. The illustrations make it easy to distinguish Rubi and Miranda from the other insects. Changes in perspective give the story a cinematic feel as some panels zoom in for dialogue between two characters while others pull back to give a wide-angle view of the action. The endless stories that Rubi tells to make life in the anthill more interesting and to explain things to Miranda also share important information with readers in an entertaining way. Students will laugh out loud while learning amazing facts. VERDICT A captivating look at ants that is also a story of learning to be a true friend; great for future entomologists, graphic novel readers, and those who love buddy narratives.-Suzanne Costner

Copyright 2024 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 2024
Hosler's distinct combination of biological science and cartooning is on full display throughout this informative, emotionally compelling, and skillfully illustrated graphic novel. Rubi is a bright red cartoon leafcutter ant living in the real world among other, more realistic ants, where no one can understand any of her dramatically told stories. When she happens upon an ant named Miranda who can both understand and respond to her, the two become fast friends. In a genuinely shocking turn of events, Miranda is revealed to be a parasitic phorid fly growing inside the host ant's head -- and therefore Rubi's mortal enemy. In a world where every creature (including assassin bugs, armadillos, ocellated antbirds, and yes, even leafcutter ants) must kill something else to survive, Rubi realizes not only that Miranda did nothing wrong by simply existing but also that "there are no good guys or bad guys in nature." The pair proceeds to survive several harrowing and humorous encounters with fascinating predators of varying shapes and sizes, resulting in a desire to test their luck with adventures abroad. The colorful illustrations are penciled and inked by hand in a fluid black line, complemented by Hosler's own expressive lettering. For a narrative packed with so much scientific information (usually delivered by the verbose Rubi), the story never bogs down thanks to Hosler's knack for snappy dialogue, excellent pacing, and adventurous use of panel size, shape, and layout. Thoroughly engrossing.

(Copyright 2024 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)