Children Across Country Write Their Own Ending to Popular Children's Book

Portland, Maine (PRWEB) July 27, 2008 -- After ten years, the children's picture book, HEY, LITTLE ANT (http://www.heylittleant.com) finally got an ending, or rather, 2,000 of them. Children in Kindergarten through Grade 3 from twenty-seven different states (and Canada) sent authors, Phillip and Hannah Hoose (http://www.heylittleant.com/bio.html) their written thoughts and drawings, answering the book's final question, "What do you think that Kid should do?"

HEY, LITTLE ANT is a dialogue between an ant and the Kid who is about to casually step on it. The Kid hesitates, though, when the ant unexpectedly talks back. The Ant pleads for its life and points out the many things the ant and child have in common. On the book's final page, the authors leave the child's foot suspended above the tiny creature and turn to the reader, asking, "What do you think that Kid should do?"

That question has launched the book, HEY, LITTLE ANT as an essential book in classrooms and libraries around the world. The book has sold hundreds of thousands of copies and has been translated into nine languages since its publication in 1998. To celebrate the book's tenth anniversary as a classroom classic, and to honor the hundreds of readers who have begged them to "tell what happens," the authors launched The Hey, Little Ant Essay Challenge (http://www.heylittleant.com/essay_challenge/index.html).

Judges from across the country ranging from early childhood educators to professors at universities to naturalists at the Woodland Park Zoo (http://www.zoo.org/) in Seattle to educators at the country's leading children's museum in Indianapolis (http://www.childrensmuseum.org/) selected sixty-one Hey, Little Ant Essay Challenge entries to honor for their creativity and thoughtfulness. Winners included both squishers and non-squishers.

"Some children simply answered the question, said HEY, LITTLE ANT's co-author, Phillip Hoose, "but many dug deeper and recognized broader questions about friendship, kindness, power, and environmental stewardship. The essays and the artwork showed how intensely they thought about the issue."

Kindergarten winner, Sophie Berghmans of Calgary, Alberta submitted a drawing with three panels showing how the Kid's relationship with the Ant changed over time. The Kid says in the three panels, "I doing lik you (don't like you)...I think I lik (like) you... I luv (love) you litil (little) ant."

First grader winner, Marina Sanchez of Wilmington, Delaware encouraged her reader to "come out on the right path...do not squish the ant" because "he's defenseless. If you cild (killed) him, he still did nothing to you." Accompanying this essay was a picture of the Kid in deep contemplation with the Ant at his feet.

Second grade winner, Amos Livers from Oldenburg, Indiana imagined himself observing the Ant in its natural environment. "If an ant were under my shoe I would lay on the ground by the ant and watch it crawl to safety...I would watch the ant tackle this chore and admire his strength and determination."

Third grade winner, Charlie Parsons of Lincoln, Nebraska imagined a scenario in which the Kid's friends ask him to prove his friendship and bravery by squishing the Ant. The Kid in Charlie's story tried a clever subterfuge, but in the end decides his friendships are not worth killing an Ant for.

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 appropriate use of force to the ethical treatment of animals.

"It is a rare young children's story that asks its readers to look at themselves and figure out what they believe. It invites critical thinking about something relevant to them, while also being significant in a larger world context." said Kindergarten educator, Marie Simon, M.Ed., "I don't tend to be contest oriented. But, I was excited to offer my Kindergarten class a chance to share what they think, and why, in a different format."

The four winners and the fifty-seven honorable mentions will receive signed, personalized copies of the book, HEY, LITTLE ANT and other prizes. One can view the winning essays and artwork on the Essay Challenge website (http://www.heylittleant.com).

For more Press Materials: http://www.heylittleant.com/essay_challenge/press.html

For more about author Phillip Hoose:

Phillip Hoose is one of America's most honored writers of books for young readers. His work has earned many awards, including recognition as a National Book Award Finalist, The Boston Globe-Horn Book Award for Non-fiction, The Christopher Award, The Orbis Pictus Non-Fiction Award, The Flora Stieglitz Straus Award, the Parents Choice Gold Award and many others. HEY, LITTLE ANT was a 1999 Jane Addams Award honor book. More at http://www.philliphoose.com/.

# # #

Related Articles:

Children Books Toys Dropshippers
Drop Shipping and Using Dropshippers For The Ebay Auction Arena!: Some times you may have to negotiate a deal to get them to drop ship for you. Even when you can find a wholesaler, chances are that you are either paying exorbitant shipping costs to get the inventory delivered to you or that the wholesaler doesn't have a wide selection of items. In the first case, you have to price your auction items so that you can recoup the shipping charges you paid, a strategy that just may prevent buyers from bidding on or buying your items. In the second instance, you may have thirty-five cases of pink widgets in your inventory, only to find that green widgets are selling like hotcake's but pink widgets went out of fashion last season. Many sellers on...

American Community Partners With Toys for Tots to Collect Toys for Local Children
American Community Mutual Insurance Company, joined forces this holiday season with the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots Program to be a designated drop-off location to collect new toys for needy children in metro Detroit.

Children's Toys - The Educational Benefits Of Wooden Toys
Children grow in many ways, mentally (cognitive development), physically (motor development), and emotionally to name but a few, developing and learning through interaction with the people, environment and objects around them. Into this mix of elements come the toys that seem to build up at an alarming rate from the high tech 'learning toys' to the humble traditional wooden toys from yesteryear. So exactly what should a buyer be looking for when buying toys for young children and are the high tech gadgets really the panacea of learning that they purport to be?

4 Great Wooden Toys For Your Child
It is hard to deny that wooden toys have a unique appeal to children of all ages. Grandparents remember when the wooden pull car was the favorite indoor and outdoor toy. Sometimes the wooden toy was hand fashioned by a favorite relative. Other times, wooden toys were created by the child. No matter how crude the product might appear to the uninitiated, in the child's eyes the vrooom noises made the crudely carved block into a real car and the wooden blocks into a steam locomotive.

Educational Toys - How Do Parents Choose The Best Toys For Their Child
The choices are mind numbing. Walk into any toy store or the toy section of any department store and there are shelves and tiers of toys labeled 'educational toys'.

Construction Toys and Puzzles as Toddler Toys
When considering construction toys or puzzles as options for toddler toys, most parents might give them a pass thinking that they might not be appropriate for their young toddler to play with This thinking however is not entirely true

Wooden Childrens Toys - Types Of Toys Available, Part 2
Wooden Building Blocks Another old classic among wooden children?s toys that is still used today is building blocks made of wood. Often these are a much better choice than plastic building toys, like Legos, that break easily and can be choking hazards. There are regular wooden building blocks available and even alphabet building blocks that you can purchase to help teach your children the alphabet while they are having fun. The building blocks made of wood are very durable and are great for children who enjoy building.

UK Toys Websites Will Strongly Promote The Use Of Traditional Children's Toys, Starting Next Month
Many years ago, before the internet, mobile phones and games consoles one of the few ways for children to use their time in a productive way was by playing using their imagination with physical toys. Using the right toys can help your kids to develop their creativity and spacial ability. Next Month Hibba.co.uk and TheToyPalace.co.uk Will Promote Strongly The Use Of Traditional Children's Toys using aggressive Marketing Strategies.

Childrens Books And Educational Toys - Can They Still Be Fun And Have Educational Value
It was no contest. Given a choice between a ball and a book, my son would never have cracked a book binding.

Earlyears Baby Rocking Horse Earns Creative Child Magazine's "Toy of the Year" Award
Earlyears' Baby Rocking Horse has been presented with the Toy of the Year Award by Creative Child magazine.

New Cool Toys Online Debuts Its New Toys For Toddlers Collection
It may only be October, but New Cool Toys Online is ready for the holidays with the addition of activity and outdoor toys for toddlers. With special emphasis on activity, each toy has been specially selected by NewCoolToysOnline.com and promises to be a special treat for the toddler age range.

Choosing Toddler Toys That Help A Child To Grow
When children are very small the way it learns take several distinct steps. Traditional toys help in the development of actions and will facilitate the learning experience. Babies go through a stage of clasping and pushing toys to see what will happen - around six months onwards - and learn that a ball will roll away etc.

Choosing The Right Toys From Online Toy Stores For Your Child
Online Toy Stores know that it takes some thought by parents to match their child with a toy. As a result, they offer excellent choices in their online toy stores. It is important to choose the most age appropriate toy for your child. Each child is different and one size does not fit all.

Choosing the Right Toddlers Toys Can Be Child?s Play
What Toddlers Toys Are Right for Your Toddler When it comes to choosing toddlers toys that are just right for your little one, it can be so confusing There are specific age recommendations on each toy

The Beauty Of Traditional Children's Toys
Have you ever seen a child in a room full of the latest toys and found the child to be playing with old fashioned children?s wooden toys that were a big hit when you were young? What is it about this sight that is so comforting? Is it because the child?s wooden toy makes us feel nostalgic or is there something else at play here? In our world of plastic throw-away goods it is comforting to see lasting goods lasting. It is especially comforting to see goods which are felt to be worthy enough to be passed on from generation to generation. The latest gadget on the latest toy has not made traditional children?s wooden toys any less desirable to children, or even to adults for that matter.