Sam with Ants in His Pants

by April Reynolds, Katie Kordesh (Illustrator)

This ferociously fun read-aloud--perfect for bedtime or anytime--begins with a can't-settle-down boy who spends his naptime with wild animals that have leapt off the pages of his favorite book, and ends with a sleepy boy all played out!

Sam is not ready for naptime. Momma says he has ants in his pants and that he must calm down, but Sam says "NOOOOOO!" and flies off to his bedroom. He flips open his favorite book-- African Wildlife-- and out jumps a herd of gazelles...followed by a pride of lions...and then a zeal of zebras. And that's just the beginning! How can Sam ever be expected to take a nap?!

Amidst all the jumping and stalking and striding and prowling comes a sound louder than any other-- GRROOWWL! It's Sam's tummy, and it scares those ants right out of his pants. It must be time for a snack. But after such a wild day, how can Sam ever be expected to stay awake?!

Genres: Picture Books, Animals, Childrens, Storytime, Humor, Family

40 pages, Hardcover

Published June 20, 2023

Reviews

[Kelly]

I don't think the title fits the book. It's a decent book about a kid who doesn't want to go down for a nap and instead lets loose wild animals in his room and they turn out to be stuffed animals, but Sam in the Jungle would have been a better title. The character wasn't jumping with the wild animals; he was trying to keep them quiet. If he really had ants in his pants, I think he would have been wild, too.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

The ink and watercolor illustrations in this picture book [3.5 for me!] are just as lively as the text and as irrepressibly wiggly as Sam, the young protagonist. When his exhausted mother suggests that he retire to his room, Sam opens a favorite book, African Wildlife, and to his surprise, the animals in the book burst forth. First, gazelles, then other wildlife, including elephants, rhinoceroses, even some hummingbirds. His room is completely filled, and things only get back to normal when his ferociously growling stomach chases them away. The animals are introduced with collective nouns; for instance, "a bloat of hippos," and the pages are filled completely with those active animals and enormous font sizes at certain points. When he gathers up his animal stuffies and joins his mother for dinner, Sam is too tired to eat but ready to share his soup with his friends. There are several notable double-page spreads that will have readers and listeners pausing for a moment to take in all the action. This one is a good read aloud choice.

[Lian Cho · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sam with Ants in His Pants is a gorgeous book that is bound to open up a world of wonder for any reader. When I was a child, I would often dream about characters and animals coming to life off of the pages that I read and this book makes this dream a reality! It's bound to spark excitement with the hoards of energetic animals that leap off the page. Readers are bound to spend hours poring over the pages to find new details they haven't found before as well as assigning personalities to each animal.

This book is perfect for any animal lover and child who can't sit still. I also deeply relate to Sam being very hangry!

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow, the illustrations in this book are really amazing! A young boy named Sam is just so full of energy and won't listen that his mother sends him to his room. There he opens up a book about animals and they all come off the page and run around his room making all kinds of trouble. The title doesn't really fit well, but the story is a lot of fun and kids will relate to having too much energy to settle down while the parents will relate to the mom just trying to make dinner. A fun story time read!

[Caroline · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a fun and imaginative picture book. I agree with other reviewers that the title for the book doesn't quite align with what happens in the actual story, but it's still cute. The illustrations are great. Animal group names are very fun. All in all this is a fun picture book, but I think parents may relate a little more to the story than their kids -- but young readers will love the animal antics all the same.

[Sophie · Rating 5 out of 5]

SAM WITH ANTS IN HIS PANTS is a fabulously illustrated tale about a charming, rambunctious kid with a big imagination. This book is wonderful for animal-loving readers. Each spread is meticulously handcrafted in gorgeous watercolor by Katie Kordesh, and April Reynolds' roaring prose is great fun to read aloud. It will knock your socks off!

[Read Ribbet · Rating 5 out of 5]

Evoking other classic stories that watch imagination take over a child's bedroom. Trying to get Sam to settle down, his Mom asks him to go to his room. He decides to dig into his favorite book African Wildlife. The reader sees how the animals come off the page to entertain Sam until Sam and his imagination finally settle down.

[Panda Incognito · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars, rounded up.

The story is a bit confusing and doesn't fully fit the title, but the illustrations are gorgeous and wonderfully expressive, and this is a fun imaginative introduction to different types of African animals.

[Brittany · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this book as an adult reader for the AR Diamond Book Award. The cover didn't really feel like it matched with the story inside. The illustrations were cute. The one part I really enjoyed was that it mentioned the collective group names of animals -- Example: A bloat of hippos.

[Meghan Bohn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lovely illustrations, but there are no hummingbirds in Africa! :)

[Lois · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one tickled me. Loved it from a grown up's POV.

[Maureen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely artwork and a fun way to learn about names for groups of animals.

[Taylor Kundel-Gower · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Marcie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Did anyone else feel this might be a nod to Where the Wild Things Are? I can see preschool teachers liking it and doing it as a cumulative read aloud.

[Janet · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ants in your pants is an old saying meaning the child is rambunctious or too active. Sam is ordered to his room for a nap where he opens a book about African animals. Of course Sam sees all the animals romping through his room. I appreciated the face the author used the collective nouns of the groups of animals in the story, pride, zeal, troop, tower, leap and others. For both the author and artist this is their debut picture book.