It's an Orange Aardvark!: Michael Hall

Book: It's an Orange Aardvark!
Author: Michael Hall
Pages: 40
Age Range: 3-6

It's an Orange Aardvark! by Michael Hall is about a group of five carpenter ants who live inside a hollow stump. One day a bold, yellow-helmeted ant decides to drill a hole in the stump, so that they "can see what's outside." Another ant, one with an orange helmet, worries that the hole maybe a problem because:

"What if there's an aardvark out there?
Aardvarks are gray and sneaky ...

and they have long tongues
that are perfect for eating carpenter ants"

When the ants glimpse something orange through the hole, a new dispute arises about whether or not aardvarks can be orange. Other holes drilled in the stump reveal other colors, but the fears about the aardvark continue and build upon one another (It's an orange aardvark "wearing blue pajamas!", etc.). Eventually, the brave, yellow-helmeted ant ventures outside, and finds a pleasant surprise (though his most fearful companion is never convinced). 

It's an Orange Aardvark is an entertaining celebration of colors as well as fears. There are holes in the pages, through which readers can glimpse the same colors that the ants do. Hall colors concentric circles around the inside of each hole, showing the color glowing right through the holes and into the darkness of the hollow stump. The colors of the helmets are used to illustrate the personalities of the ants: the yellow one is adventurous, the blue ones are easily led, and the reddish orange one is downright paranoid. 

I like It's an Orange Aardvark because it celebrates the ridiculous, both in the premise as a whole, and in the ways that the orange-helmeted ant works the various colors into his warnings ("gecko-guiding, dozer driving", etc.). Sure, one could infer a message about not jumping to conclusions in the presence of insufficient information, but this isn't necessary to enjoy the book. The peeking through holes bit lends additional visual interest to the book, and makes it, in my opinon, more a book for preschoolers than for older kids. It would make a fun storytime read-aloud. 

Publisher: Greenwillow Books (@HarperChildrens) 
Publication Date: April 22, 2014
Source of Book: Review copy from the publisher

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