Thanks to NetGalley for the free eARC. I requested this because I thought it might be cute for a bug-themed storytime. It's actually one that would be more fun to read together, since you have the added challenge of looking for Antonia on each page (she has cute little blue bands!).

This picture book is written as a "thank you" letter to a messy little boy from a group of ants who enjoy eating his crumbs. Since it's from the perspective of the ants, the parents are viewed as the villains, since they just want the ants out of their house. It's a cute idea, and again, it's fun to look for Antonia in all of the illustrations.

Well illustrated, cute premise for a book. There was something about the way it was written that didn't flow well for me. It wasn't completely read-aloud friendly but even just reading it silently I found myself rereading lines early on. I'm not sure if it's the point of view or just the choice of words. I think the idea of Antonio writing the letter is cute but It keeps moving from I to we without being clear. I think there needed to be a little more buildup of Antonio's character. The illustrations were nice except I found Jay's face to be the same in a lot of the pages. Nit-picky, but just something I noticed.

This was cute! I don't know that I would pick it up for any kids in my life, and I don't think it would be a standout favourite as the writing didn't flow, but it was a cute idea.

Ant point-of-view story.

A series of letters to the boy in whose house the ants (led by Antonia) are staying. While Jay is a great host - lots of snacks everywhere, his grown-ups don't seem to be as welcoming.

Readers will realise that Jay's family may not be as keen on his ant guests as he is, and enjoy pointing out what they spot.

The illustrations to this are marvellous, loved the quality of the scenes, the colours and the fantastically large doughnuts and cakes!

You are asked to look for Antonia on each page, and she's distinguishable easily from her comrades. You might find you are talking with young listeners about ants as being possibly pests or helpful, why people may not like them.

There are ant facts at the end of the story, and it's a good little volume for discussion and considering the world from different perspectives.

With thanks to Netgalley for providing a sample reading copy.

Sincerely, Antonia by Cortney Cino is a sweet book that teaches children compassion by exploring perspectives through the eyes of a group of ants. I particularly appreciate the letter format, which not only enhances the storytelling but also introduces young readers to letter writing—they could even respond to the ants as an engaging activity! The book includes a page of fascinating ant facts, adding educational value to this creative and fun reading experience. Throughout the book, vibrant and captivating illustrations bring the story to life, making it visually appealing for children of all ages.

Thank you Whimspire Books & NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Crawling Crew

The book really brought into focus perspective and how you frame things really can change the narrative of a story/viewpoint. This was a fun story with plenty of what not to do lessons included.

The illustrations demonstrated how large the messes and ant colony were in the scenes.

I would say this story is flexible to read to an individual or a group of children.

I received a copy of this book from Cortney Cino. I am voluntarily leaving a review. All opinions are my own.

Netgalley ARC - This was great! a new concept to me and well-done. I like the bonus seek and find game.

This book is a letter written to a boy by the ants that used to live in his home. This is a good book for an observant child who will figure out that the ants are writing this letter.

Thank you so much to Whimspire Books and Netgalley for the ebook to read and review.

This was really sweet, I really loved that the whole book was narrated and told by Antonia an ant. She was sharing a letter to the boy with whom she and her colony were residing with. It was so clever and so entertaining, each day at his house was a fight for their survival.

I really enjoyed the tone of the writing, I enjoyed how at every scary turn the ants survived another day, moving from one area to another, the boy feeding them with his complete food messes. It was a really enjoyable and entreating read, with fun illustrations on each page.

I really loved how interactive the story was, you had to really search on each page to find Antonia, sometimes she was so hard to spot. Books like this are always so wonderful to give to young children as they have so much fun searching for the hidden character.

This was such a fun book! At first we weren't sure who Antonia actually was, then my daughter (5) noticed the ants on all the pages and we figured it out! We have had ant issues in our kitchen previously, so she really related to the book. Seeing all of the food and trash that was left around, giving the ants something to draw them into the house, had her commenting on how we needed to make sure to sweep the floor after meals so we don't get any, especially with the cat food. The illustrations were very cute, the ending with the treehouse led to discussions that ants weren't bad, we just don't want them in the house. The fact sheet at the end was very interesting and helped keep the ants from becoming 'villains' of the story. All told this was a very cute book that helped get the idea of keeping things tidy so that the ants stay outside where they belong. We read this ebook through NetGalley.

This kid is such a messy eater and the ants love it! But they are feeling less than welcome because of the parents' actions, so they're writing a letter to their friend letting him know they're leaving and they'd like him to follow.
This was kind of icky, thinking about all the crumbs, but also funny and friendly. I never thought of having a relationship with the ants who want my leftovers! It got a giggle out of me.
Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this

A very cute story for young children. I enjoyed reading this to my son he seemed to like it too. Definitely recommend.

This was a cute little story. A definitely fun way to see life through the perspective of the ant. The illustrations are very nice!

The illustrations are well done. However, this isn't a book I'd buy for my own child or classroom and it isn't a book I'd recommend to others with kids, so I can't rate it highly. The idea of having the ants that are enjoying a messy kid's crumbs write out a letter had potential. I could see it working. But this story as a whole felt like it lacked something. I'm not really sure what message we're supposed to get out of reading this.

Before I launch into my review, I would like to say a warm thank you to Cortney Cino, Whimspire Books, and Netgalley for the Advanced Digital Reader Copy of this title. For anyone with their eye on this title, here is my personal review of the book to help you decide whether you are interested or not. All opinions offered are my own.

Quirky, comedic, and relatable, I love, love, love this book.

Written from the perspective of an ant named Antonia, with the occasional interruption from mum and dad, this book is a lesson in how to offer constructive criticism. Antonia and friends enjoyed their stay at Jay’s house but feel it is time to move on. Read the book to find out why.

I found this book to be original. What a great concept! I enjoyed it, my kids enjoyed it, and it’s a book I will buy and recommend to parents and caregivers of very young children.

I enjoyed the satire throughout the book that will probably be lost to the target audience, thought the illustrations were beautiful, and valued the fact that this book could be a teaching aid when it comes to requesting children to respect the home and clean up their mess. I also appreciated the facts about ants at the end of the book.

An absolutely brilliant book that will be consulted and laughed over again and again. 5 out of 5 stars doesn’t even begin to cut it.

The illustrations are cute and I love the ant facts at the end but I don’t really know what the point of the book is unless it’s to encourage messy eaters? Which I don’t know that most parents will love.

This little wholesome story is beautifully illustrated. I really liked the way the story was written out through the illustrations.

I love the way this is written like a letter by the ant Antonia and I think this book will teach kids that even thought little creatures like ants look insignificant, they are special too. And I love that this is incorporated into the story. A little bit of learning while enjoying the beautiful illustrations.
It also shows why we should clean up after ourselves as this can attract little creatures we might not want in our home.

Thanks netgalley for this arc!

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the arc

This is a silly tale about ants who inhabit the home of a young boy and his parents. I think little kids will find this book to be very humorous and I can see it being a bedtime favorite. I especially enjoyed the illustrations in this book.

This book is cute, if a little gross. The message isn't quite clear enough that we don't want to leave food messes because it attracts ants. Kids could end up wanting to leave messes because they can make friends with ants.

This book was cute! A fun little children's story told from the perspective of an ant. The art was fun to look at and definitely added to the narrative.
Thank you to NetGalley for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.