Sam with Ants in His Pants

April 10, 2023
Just before nap time one afternoon, Sam bounces around his Black-presenting family’s kitchen before being sent to bed. Shutting his bedroom door tight, Sam opens African Wildlife, his favorite book. But like the famous protagonist of Where the Wild Things Are, Sam finds his read even more boisterous than his mood. When out of the pages spring a whole menagerie of savanna inhabitants, Reynolds gives each one a crowd-pleasing sound effect: a troop of baboons who “smacked their lips and narrowed their eyes and kept their ears back” says “Hoo! Hoo!” As fantasies go, the events are a mixed blessing. Sam gets to dance with a leap of leopards, but the crash of rhinos slobber on his sneakers; in one comically choreographed ink and watercolor image by Kordesh, Sam’s head barely emerges from what looks like an ongoing stampede. The animals finally clear the room when they hear Sam’s growling tummy, and the sleepy but unapologetic boy heads downstairs and promptly falls asleep at the dinner table, clutching an armful of animal stuffies. Wild animal aficionados should find enough to keep them purring in this double debut about a wild adventure come home. Ages 4–8.

May 15, 2023
The tale of a wild imagination put to good use. Sam, a Black boy whose Momma says he has "ants in his pants," can't be still. It's time for his afternoon nap, but Sam is uninterested. Although he yells "NOOO!" he goes to his room, shuts the door...and opens his favorite book, African Wildlife, which features a lion on the cover. Immediately, a herd of gazelles jumps out and bounds around his room, followed by a pride of lions, a zeal of zebras, and several other groups of animals. Each zoological collection makes a sound that provides great fodder for interactive read-alouds. Observant readers will notice that Sam's drawings on the wall of his room and his stuffed animals resemble those that have emerged from the book. Like Maurice Sendak's Max, Sam isn't intimidated by wild things--he even dances with the leap of leopards. He also attempts to retrieve his shoes from the crash of rhinos, which find his soles quite tasty. The loudest growl of all--from Sam's tummy--gets everyone's attention and leads to a satisfying ending. Throughout this lively picture book, readers will learn many collective nouns for animals and even a few facts. Kordesh's whimsical illustrations, rendered in watercolor and ink, make the animals that could be frightening humorous and entertaining. (This book was reviewed digitally.) Clever, immersive fun. (Picture book. 3-7)

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