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The Grasshopper's Song: An Aesop's Fable Revisited
Artfully retold by a renowned poet and illustrated with energy and charm by a Caldecott Medalist, this twist on an Aesop fable is as witty as
it is satisfying.
Every year the Grasshoppers sing and play their instruments and the Ants work in rhythm to the music. The crops come up smoothly, and the Ants bring in the harvest to the Grasshoppers’ beat. But when winter comes, the Ants turn their backs on the Grasshoppers, and Jimmy Grasshopper finds this unfair. He’s hired Robin, Robin, Robin, and Wren to sue Abigail and Nestor Ant for what he deserves — R-E-S-P-E-C-T — and a one-half share of the harvest. But will a jury of his peers agree about the worth of art?
it is satisfying.
Every year the Grasshoppers sing and play their instruments and the Ants work in rhythm to the music. The crops come up smoothly, and the Ants bring in the harvest to the Grasshoppers’ beat. But when winter comes, the Ants turn their backs on the Grasshoppers, and Jimmy Grasshopper finds this unfair. He’s hired Robin, Robin, Robin, and Wren to sue Abigail and Nestor Ant for what he deserves — R-E-S-P-E-C-T — and a one-half share of the harvest. But will a jury of his peers agree about the worth of art?
56 pages, Hardcover
First published May 13, 2008
About the author
Nikki Giovanni
167 books1,428 followersYolande Cornelia "Nikki" Giovanni Jr. was an American poet, writer, commentator, activist, and educator. One of the world's most well-known African-American poets, her work includes poetry anthologies, poetry recordings, and nonfiction essays, and covers topics ranging from race and social issues to children's literature. She won numerous awards, including the Langston Hughes Medal and the NAACP Image Award. She was nominated for a Grammy Award for her poetry album, The Nikki Giovanni Poetry Collection. Additionally, she was named as one of Oprah Winfrey's 25 "Living Legends". Giovanni was a member of The Wintergreen Women Writers Collective.
Giovanni gained initial fame in the late 1960s as one of the foremost authors of the Black Arts Movement. Influenced by the Civil Rights Movement and Black Power Movement of the period, her early work provides a strong, militant African-American perspective, leading one writer to dub her the "Poet of the Black Revolution". During the 1970s, she began writing children's literature, and co-founded a publishing company, NikTom Ltd, to provide an outlet for other African-American women writers. Over subsequent decades, her works discussed social issues, human relationships, and hip hop. Poems such as "Knoxville, Tennessee" and "Nikki-Rosa" have been frequently re-published in anthologies and other collections.
Giovanni received numerous awards and holds 27 honorary degrees from various colleges and universities. She was also given the key to over two dozen cities. Giovanni was honored with the NAACP Image Award seven times. One of her more unique honors was having a South America bat species, Micronycteris giovanniae, named after her in 2007.
Giovanni was proud of her Appalachian roots and worked to change the way the world views Appalachians and Affrilachians.
Giovanni taught at Queens College, Rutgers, and Ohio State, and was a University Distinguished Professor at Virginia Tech until September 1, 2022. After the Virginia Tech shooting in 2007, she delivered a chant-poem at a memorial for the shooting victims.
Giovanni gained initial fame in the late 1960s as one of the foremost authors of the Black Arts Movement. Influenced by the Civil Rights Movement and Black Power Movement of the period, her early work provides a strong, militant African-American perspective, leading one writer to dub her the "Poet of the Black Revolution". During the 1970s, she began writing children's literature, and co-founded a publishing company, NikTom Ltd, to provide an outlet for other African-American women writers. Over subsequent decades, her works discussed social issues, human relationships, and hip hop. Poems such as "Knoxville, Tennessee" and "Nikki-Rosa" have been frequently re-published in anthologies and other collections.
Giovanni received numerous awards and holds 27 honorary degrees from various colleges and universities. She was also given the key to over two dozen cities. Giovanni was honored with the NAACP Image Award seven times. One of her more unique honors was having a South America bat species, Micronycteris giovanniae, named after her in 2007.
Giovanni was proud of her Appalachian roots and worked to change the way the world views Appalachians and Affrilachians.
Giovanni taught at Queens College, Rutgers, and Ohio State, and was a University Distinguished Professor at Virginia Tech until September 1, 2022. After the Virginia Tech shooting in 2007, she delivered a chant-poem at a memorial for the shooting victims.
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
January 10, 2021
Without art, life would be a big mistake. It is art that speaks to a higher good in us; it is art that reminds us our immortal souls should seek a higher purpose; it is art that gives us not only the words for love but also the reason for it. -- Jimmy Ignatius Grasshopper
Aesop’s fable of the ant and the grasshopper is not kind to artists, and an artistic/musical/poetic child can grow up with the notion (reinforced by American culture) that what they love and value and practice hard, and what others also seem to love and value in them, is not only worthless but actually morally wrong in some way. This is real. My mom, a poet, counteracted this during my childhood with her own children’s story, “Charlie the Cricket” about a group of cricket-musicians who played all night outside the window of a little girl, comfortingly lulling her to sleep. So I was delighted and wowed by this bold revisionist fable, set up as a court case where Jimmy Grasshopper sues for compensation from Nestor and Abigail Ant, who have reaped extreme benefit from his services -- like human musicians set a work rhythm and entertained harvesters and factory workers.
I agree with the other reviewers that this would probably work better for children in, say, fifth grade, than for children in the typical picture-book market (that’s why I have not categorized is as a picture book). It is wordy and a little preachy -- although the “preaching” is framed as court argument, which as least in popular culture involves passionate preaching in favor of one’s cause. But it would be great for teaching about the court system, economic justice, even musicians’ and performing artists’ unions, and could spark a good classroom debate. And do we really need to worry that somehow artists and musicians are going be paid too much if kids start reading books like these, when no other professionals are so often asked and even expected to provide their services for free, while for years old Aesop has taught that musicians who starve to death are getting what they deserve?
Aesop’s fable of the ant and the grasshopper is not kind to artists, and an artistic/musical/poetic child can grow up with the notion (reinforced by American culture) that what they love and value and practice hard, and what others also seem to love and value in them, is not only worthless but actually morally wrong in some way. This is real. My mom, a poet, counteracted this during my childhood with her own children’s story, “Charlie the Cricket” about a group of cricket-musicians who played all night outside the window of a little girl, comfortingly lulling her to sleep. So I was delighted and wowed by this bold revisionist fable, set up as a court case where Jimmy Grasshopper sues for compensation from Nestor and Abigail Ant, who have reaped extreme benefit from his services -- like human musicians set a work rhythm and entertained harvesters and factory workers.
I agree with the other reviewers that this would probably work better for children in, say, fifth grade, than for children in the typical picture-book market (that’s why I have not categorized is as a picture book). It is wordy and a little preachy -- although the “preaching” is framed as court argument, which as least in popular culture involves passionate preaching in favor of one’s cause. But it would be great for teaching about the court system, economic justice, even musicians’ and performing artists’ unions, and could spark a good classroom debate. And do we really need to worry that somehow artists and musicians are going be paid too much if kids start reading books like these, when no other professionals are so often asked and even expected to provide their services for free, while for years old Aesop has taught that musicians who starve to death are getting what they deserve?
October 11, 2008
I wouldn't categorize this tale as a folklore. It's a courtroom drama for the grade school aged. Raschka's illustrations are fluid and fun, although the color pallet seems gaudy or even vulgar, slightly offensive to my own sense of color preferences. (But that is very personal.)
I enjoyed reading about the case but was not quite convinced by the verdict. (And there are pages that go on way too long and a bit too technical for this picture book format -- but maybe this will be useful in a classroom setting for older children.) It seems a bit preachy, with a "point" to make and is not quite disguised well to make a great yarn.
I was so hoping for a suspenseful ending and letting the readers to make up their own minds and to discuss the outcomes. I can see using this book with a group of 4th to 6th graders, presenting the tale, leaving the ending unread, and then letting the student-jury to hash it out their own verdict. As long as the process is valid, it does not bother me if they don't favor the grasshopper, or if they make some form of compromise: award the grasshopper R-E-S-P-E-C-T but not so much of the year's crop.
I enjoyed reading about the case but was not quite convinced by the verdict. (And there are pages that go on way too long and a bit too technical for this picture book format -- but maybe this will be useful in a classroom setting for older children.) It seems a bit preachy, with a "point" to make and is not quite disguised well to make a great yarn.
I was so hoping for a suspenseful ending and letting the readers to make up their own minds and to discuss the outcomes. I can see using this book with a group of 4th to 6th graders, presenting the tale, leaving the ending unread, and then letting the student-jury to hash it out their own verdict. As long as the process is valid, it does not bother me if they don't favor the grasshopper, or if they make some form of compromise: award the grasshopper R-E-S-P-E-C-T but not so much of the year's crop.
May 10, 2010
Author: Nikki Giovanni
Publisher: Candlewick
Genre: Folklore
Summary: This is a twist on one of the fables told by Aesop. While the ants were working, the grasshopper was busy playing music. Winter arrives and the grasshopper have has nothing to live off of and acts the ants to share. The ants refuse and the grasshopper decides to sue the ants for respect and half of their profits. A court case follows where the worth of art and music is argued. The jury finally decides to award the case to the grasshopper and they all have a party at the end.
Response: I thought this was an unusual take on the story. It definitely had a modern vibe to it, especially with the grasshopper wanted to sue for respect. I really liked the pictures. The illustrator was able to give the insects human like qualities in their faces.
Themes/Concept/Connection: Insects, Respect, Music/Art
Publisher: Candlewick
Genre: Folklore
Summary: This is a twist on one of the fables told by Aesop. While the ants were working, the grasshopper was busy playing music. Winter arrives and the grasshopper have has nothing to live off of and acts the ants to share. The ants refuse and the grasshopper decides to sue the ants for respect and half of their profits. A court case follows where the worth of art and music is argued. The jury finally decides to award the case to the grasshopper and they all have a party at the end.
Response: I thought this was an unusual take on the story. It definitely had a modern vibe to it, especially with the grasshopper wanted to sue for respect. I really liked the pictures. The illustrator was able to give the insects human like qualities in their faces.
Themes/Concept/Connection: Insects, Respect, Music/Art
September 28, 2016
My kids got this book for free from the library after a summer reading program. They love the pictures, but that's about the only semi-redeeming quality about the book. It's not a plot for kids in the way it's written and it's the most blatantly biased agenda I've ever read in a children's book, definitely not a message I'd want my kids putting faith into. And there should really be no attribution to aesop's fable when the message of the original story is so completely twisted and abused by a very presentist approach.
December 14, 2008
I am all for reimagined tales, from fairy tales and myths to, well, anything. But this one left me unimpressed. It definitely had a message, as children's books can and perhaps even should. But it was presented so blandly, with such a heavy hand, that it felt ultimately like a book that rich white liberals would by for their children to prove to themselves that they themselves were advanced thinkers and patrons of the arts.
June 10, 2008
Great artwork, but this book just keeps going... and going... and going. I had trouble getting all the way through it, and I imagine most kids will, too.
December 10, 2009
"aesop's fable, trial, too complicated for children"
April 18, 2012
Author: Nikki Giovanni
Grade Level: 5-7
Content: Seasons, Harvest
Book is about a grasshopper and an ant. During spring the ant gathers food in preparation for the winter. The ant gathers food in rhythm to the music produced by the grasshopper. During the winter, the grasshopper asks the ant for a share of his harvest and gets turned down. The grasshopper doesn't believe this to be fair and takes the ant to court. A dramatic courtroom drama develops and the outcome is not expected. The ant is order to give the grasshopper a share of his harvest.
Overall I think this book was a bit too long for children. I would say it is more oriented for upper grades, 5-7. It is presented as a children's book with illustrations but goes get a bit too technical at certain points during the courtroom proceedings.
Grade Level: 5-7
Content: Seasons, Harvest
Book is about a grasshopper and an ant. During spring the ant gathers food in preparation for the winter. The ant gathers food in rhythm to the music produced by the grasshopper. During the winter, the grasshopper asks the ant for a share of his harvest and gets turned down. The grasshopper doesn't believe this to be fair and takes the ant to court. A dramatic courtroom drama develops and the outcome is not expected. The ant is order to give the grasshopper a share of his harvest.
Overall I think this book was a bit too long for children. I would say it is more oriented for upper grades, 5-7. It is presented as a children's book with illustrations but goes get a bit too technical at certain points during the courtroom proceedings.
June 29, 2013
It's the ants vs. the grasshoppers in a court of their peers. The case is whether the grasshoppers are entitled to half of the ant's harvest due to the fact that the ants benefited from the grasshopper's music while they toiled.
The creatures hire their own set of lawyers and each side dukes it out in court, both making valid points, though in the end the grasshoppers and their art is paid their due.
A fun read for middle grades complete with beautiful watercolor artwork that uses an earth tone palette which gives the illustrations a vintage feel.
The creatures hire their own set of lawyers and each side dukes it out in court, both making valid points, though in the end the grasshoppers and their art is paid their due.
A fun read for middle grades complete with beautiful watercolor artwork that uses an earth tone palette which gives the illustrations a vintage feel.
June 21, 2018
Swirling, surrealist illustrations help present the concept of courtroom proceedings with the characters of the Grasshopper and the Ants. This is a wordy book, with material that will sail over the heads of little tots, so it is best suited for older kids, who may be learning the very basics of legal concepts for the first time. Kids should also be familiar with the original fable to get the full backstory on the characters.
July 24, 2008
An Aesop's fable retold about a Grasshopper trying to get respect for his musical talent. Grasshopper plays music for the ants while they are working. When grasshopper asks for money for his music, the ants laugh and the grasshopper ends up taking them to court to prove how important music is in the life of the ants.
September 21, 2016
This book would be well used in an older classroom, possibly 4-6th grade. It could be used as an acted out activity, helping the students grasp the concept of respect and consideration for others and their hard work. The story was overall well written and had a good ending which most kids like to hear after a dramatic story as this was.
July 9, 2009
I'm not sure who the target audience is for this book....it is a courtroom drama...
The message is a good one, and the watercolor illustrations are dreamy and pretty....but I just am not sure who the book is written for.
The message is a good one, and the watercolor illustrations are dreamy and pretty....but I just am not sure who the book is written for.
Read
June 26, 2011I would aboslutely read this story to a fifth grade class before starting a unit on the court system. I would also absolutely read this story to preschoolers about fairness and friendship. There is great language, but you need to be careful of the "Goldilocks Syndrome".
February 2, 2009
I understand where she was going with it and I liked the idea of the courthouse but in all honesty I hate the ending. I won't spoil it for anyone who may read it but I disagree with the ending
January 31, 2015
It's a nice version of the original fable. It is an upper-level picture book, so it would be appreciated by 4th and 5th graders.
December 3, 2016
A retelling of Aesop's fable, where the Grasshopper is on trial and the argument is whether or not art is valuable. Spoiler: it is.
February 10, 2025
James “Jimmy” Ignatius Grasshopper hires the firm of Robin, Robin, Robin, and Wren to sue Abigail and Nestor Ant for “reasonable reparations of respect,” represented by a one-half share of the ants’ summer harvest. As the feathered attorneys explain, every year the ants invite the grasshoppers into their camps to make the music and set the rhythm the ants depend on to do their work efficiently and happily. Jimmy’s testimony, though, moves beyond economic concerns:
“Am I not worthy of my bread? Does not the work of my heart and soul earn respect? I am an artist. Is there no place for beauty, no solace for the ear, no hope for the heart?”
When the defense attorneys (a slug, a moth, and a butterfly) argue that the grasshoppers have not performed any work and that they had no contract with the ants, one of the wren attorneys objects that ‘work’ and ‘contract’ have to be defined as they apply in this case. Young readers can deliberate alongside the jury about relevant criteria.
“Am I not worthy of my bread? Does not the work of my heart and soul earn respect? I am an artist. Is there no place for beauty, no solace for the ear, no hope for the heart?”
When the defense attorneys (a slug, a moth, and a butterfly) argue that the grasshoppers have not performed any work and that they had no contract with the ants, one of the wren attorneys objects that ‘work’ and ‘contract’ have to be defined as they apply in this case. Young readers can deliberate alongside the jury about relevant criteria.
August 17, 2020
Nikki Giovanni revisits the story of the grasshopper and the ants, and this time, the grasshopper is rewarded for his singing and the music he makes. The lawyers - Robin, Robin, Robin and Wren for the plaintiff, while Moth, Moth, Butterfly and Slug represented the defense. The slug, large and yellow with pink spots, wearing a lovely pink ruffled front top in the same exact shade of pink, is worth the entire story. Illustrated by Chris Raschka, who has both a Caldecott award and a Caldecott Honor in his bibliography, the watercolors are swirling and lively. This is a pleasant contemplation of what art is in society and what it should be worth.
October 8, 2024
I felt like there was not an evident theme or moral to this story. The grasshopper wanted to have respect from the ants for singing while the ants were picking crops. However, the ants never asked the grasshopper to sing for them and the grasshopper did not help with the crops. In the end, the grasshopper received compensation in the form of crops, so I'm not sure as to what the theme would be. I would not recommend having this in my classroom because there are many terms students may not know and I did not enjoy reading this.
March 28, 2019
Good children's book! I read it for a class and thought it was nice. The ending made me mad though, It would have been awesome if I hadn't disagreed with the ending if the tale. Great retelling of Aesop's Fable of the "Ant and the Grasshopper".
November 18, 2020
Copyright Year: 2008
Theme(s): Friendship, Respect, Music, Justice System
This was a fun read on an Aesop Fable I've never heard of before. This would be a great read aloud in the classroom as well as a candidate for a reader's theater because of the large, dynamic cast of characters.
Theme(s): Friendship, Respect, Music, Justice System
This was a fun read on an Aesop Fable I've never heard of before. This would be a great read aloud in the classroom as well as a candidate for a reader's theater because of the large, dynamic cast of characters.
May 23, 2019
Too much jargon for a children's book. I'm biased and didn't like the ending. Illustrations were beautiful and that was the best part of the book.
April 10, 2026
"Artists... describe the beauty of nature in ways that can make you weep with awe...."
Many adaptations have the ants pitying to grasshopper, or making friends with him. This actually helps the reader understand the value of his 'work.'
Giovanni didn't quite succeed in her attempt to present a balanced case... and certainly 'half' of the ants' provender is too much to give the grasshopper But I still think that every child, every person open to the rethinking life lessons from Another Point of View, should read & discuss this.
Even better, though, is Frederick by Leo Lionni. (I like the art much better in this one, too.)
Many adaptations have the ants pitying to grasshopper, or making friends with him. This actually helps the reader understand the value of his 'work.'
Giovanni didn't quite succeed in her attempt to present a balanced case... and certainly 'half' of the ants' provender is too much to give the grasshopper But I still think that every child, every person open to the rethinking life lessons from Another Point of View, should read & discuss this.
Even better, though, is Frederick by Leo Lionni. (I like the art much better in this one, too.)
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews