ALONZO AND THE ARMY OF ANTS

by Murray Goodwin ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 27, 1966

The South American village of Paz is a long way south of Lawson's Rabbit Hill, but its animal inhabitants share the same combination of human qualities (which include such frailties as bickering, jealousy, cowardice, sulking) and amusingly pointed, deliberative conversations. Alonzo, the anteater, got along fairly well with the other animals of Paz, although nobody could be expected to be friends with Luis the White-Lipped Peccary. It was a run-in with Luis that caused Alonzo to lumber off in a huff at just the point Paz needed him the most. An army of killer ants were reported to be headed straight toward Paz. Alonzo returned and rose to the occasion with the help of the Burrowing Owl, the Hairy Armadillo, the Pampas Cat, the timid Maned Wolf and even the churlish Luis. With Alonzo as strategist, they decided to fight rather than retreat and the battle scenes are dramatic and memorable. The Burrowing Owl is given to uttering circular declarations in a multi-syllabic vocabulary, a delight too seldom encountered in books for children today. The book suggests itself as a serial read aloud as well as an excellent animal fantasy for independent readers. Aside from the fact that killer ants area matter of total fascination to the juvenile imagination, Alonzo is completely appealing -- especially in the drawings which have captured his deceptively sleepy strength.

Pub Date: April 27, 1966

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Harper & Row

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 1966

Categories: CHILDREN'S