cover image Ants ’n’ Uncles

Ants ’n’ Uncles

Clay Rice. Familius (IPS, dist.), $16.95 (32p) ISBN 978-1-942934-68-4

Rice takes a more playful tack than he did in 2014’s The Stick in this story about an uncle with literal ants in his pants, which send him on an around-the-world dance-a-thon. The man’s niece, a girl with twin braids and a plaid dress, narrates his journey, which Rice captures in swoopy, cut-paper silhouettes that caricature the man’s features, especially his oversize, ever-moving feet. As the girl’s uncle travels, “He two-stepped through Texas/ Merengued through Mexico/ As he cancanned through Costa Rica/ He really put on a show.” Postcards and scenes framed to look like vintage travel posters bring a cosmopolitan air to the pages as Rice highlights the Eiffel Tower, Egyptian pyramids, and other landmarks. A repeated refrain (“Ants ’n’ uncles, uncles ’n’ ants,/ dancin’ the world with ants in his pants./ Goin’ where he’s never been before/ on his un-ant-ticipated world tour”) gives the rhymes a musicality that reflects the author’s songwriting background. Though the closing joke fizzles (“If you see my uncle, tell him... he’s three months late for summer”), there’s enough silliness throughout to keep readers entertained. Ages 3–6. (Sept.)