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My Brother, Ant
Meet Ant, the little brother who's big on laughs. In four upbeat stories, Ant and his big brother confront the monster under the bed, recreate the story of the three little pigs, and write a letter to Santa-in July! Sometimes funny, always endearing, Ant is invariably entertaining. "A great storyteller and a great illustrator are at their very best in this tender, funny easy-to-read." - Booklist, starred review
Paperback
First published January 1, 1996
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About the author
Betsy Byars
138 books157 followersBetsy Byars was an American author of children's books. She wrote over sixty books for young people. Her first novel was published in 1962. Her novel Summer of the Swans won the 1971 Newbery Medal. She also received a National Book Award for Young People's Literature for The Night Swimmers and an Edgar Award for Wanted ... Mud Blossom!!
Daughters Betsy Duffey and Laurie Myers are also writers.
Daughters Betsy Duffey and Laurie Myers are also writers.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
October 10, 2009
My Brother, Ant by Betsy Byars and illustrated by Marc Simont is an easy reader book, which includes four different stories about an older brother and his younger brother, Ant. It is a level three reading book for ages 6-9, with short sentences and vocabulary (e.g. homework is repeated eight times within seven pages) or repetition of words (e.g. “I did not” or “He did not”).
A read aloud of pages 14-17 of “Ant and the Spider” is best as it ends at where the older brother thinks Ant is lying and Ant is following him to explain himself. This is where kids can be asked to predict what they think Ant is trying to tell his older brother. Is Ant going to confess to his brother? Or did someone else do it? For “The Monster Under Ant’s Bed” on pages 5-9, this can be read aloud, ending at the page in which Ant’s older brother decides to look for the monster under his bed. Here, kids can guess how the brother will try to get rid of the monster.
The book does a good job showing the relationship between brothers, which involves helping and fighting with each other. This is realistic to the love/hate relationship siblings experience with one another. Kids can be asked to write about their personal sibling relationship or if they have no siblings, how that has made their life different from what the boys experienced in the book.
Pictures are painted in light colors and reflect the information that is being addressed in the text. This helps readers to better understand what the words mean. An example of this would be the section titled “Ant and the Three Little Pigs” where the older brother reads about figs in a book, but Ant says they are pigs. Hence, what is shown in the book is a picture of a pig and fig combined together. I particularly enjoy some of the humor in the book's drawings, mostly the one in “Love, Ant” where Ant requests his brother to help him write a letter to Santa in July. The drawings show Santa reading a letter out in the sun as he is laying out on a lawn seat in his boxers and a wife beater.
Another good aspect of this book is the realistic scenarios portrayed through a child’s view, such as worrying about monster’s under the bed at night or having to write a letter to Santa Claus. Students can be asked to write about whether they had experienced problems with monsters before or if they had other fears similar to it, such as being scared of ghosts.
A read aloud of pages 14-17 of “Ant and the Spider” is best as it ends at where the older brother thinks Ant is lying and Ant is following him to explain himself. This is where kids can be asked to predict what they think Ant is trying to tell his older brother. Is Ant going to confess to his brother? Or did someone else do it? For “The Monster Under Ant’s Bed” on pages 5-9, this can be read aloud, ending at the page in which Ant’s older brother decides to look for the monster under his bed. Here, kids can guess how the brother will try to get rid of the monster.
The book does a good job showing the relationship between brothers, which involves helping and fighting with each other. This is realistic to the love/hate relationship siblings experience with one another. Kids can be asked to write about their personal sibling relationship or if they have no siblings, how that has made their life different from what the boys experienced in the book.
Pictures are painted in light colors and reflect the information that is being addressed in the text. This helps readers to better understand what the words mean. An example of this would be the section titled “Ant and the Three Little Pigs” where the older brother reads about figs in a book, but Ant says they are pigs. Hence, what is shown in the book is a picture of a pig and fig combined together. I particularly enjoy some of the humor in the book's drawings, mostly the one in “Love, Ant” where Ant requests his brother to help him write a letter to Santa in July. The drawings show Santa reading a letter out in the sun as he is laying out on a lawn seat in his boxers and a wife beater.
Another good aspect of this book is the realistic scenarios portrayed through a child’s view, such as worrying about monster’s under the bed at night or having to write a letter to Santa Claus. Students can be asked to write about whether they had experienced problems with monsters before or if they had other fears similar to it, such as being scared of ghosts.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 9, 2019
An early reader that rather beautifully captures the sometimes trying relationship between two brothers.
January 12, 2024
A sweet, short picture that shows accurately shows the teetering scales of brotherly relationships between two little boys. Whether they are fighting or helping, young readers will understand their relationship through the use of simple words.
February 16, 2021
What a great book
February 1, 2025
Fine for an early reader to practice reading. Stories are flat though.
December 19, 2016
My Brother, Ant is a Level 3 Easy Reader originally published in 1996 and recently repackaged as part of the Penguin Young Readers series. The volumes in this series - which include some of the Cam Jansen books, retellings of classics such as Black Beauty, and other well-known books for beginning readers - are labeled not just with traditional levels designated by the publisher, but also with their corresponding Guided Reading letters. This is immensely helpful to public librarians who don’t work with Guided Reading on a regular basis, but who field lots of questions from confused and interested parents. I’m not crazy about the idea of designating books based on reading level, since obsessing over the levels can sometimes take the joy right out of reading, but from a professional standpoint, it’s nice to have access to information that can help me understand what the various Guided Reading levels mean. My Brother, Ant is designated as a Level J, putting it on the same level with Henry and Mudge, Little Bear, and Aunt Eater - essentially a second grade reading level.
The story itself is by Betsy Byars and focuses on the relationship between two brothers. The unnamed older brother narrates the story, relating for the reader the surprising and sometimes annoying things his little brother Anthony does. In the three chapters of this book, Ant fears a monster beneath his bed, uses the narrator’s homework as drawing paper, and asks his brother to read him a story, but refuses to accept the narrator’s creative embellishments on classic fairy tales. The brothers have a sweet and supportive relationship, which is portrayed very positively, even during moments when they drive each other crazy.
Since this is a “transitional reader” it includes a lot of dialogue, which makes room for subtle character development that might not otherwise make it into such a short and simple story. I also noticed a distinct lack of contractions, which makes the writing seem stilted in some places, but also keeps new readers focused on the plot and vocabulary of the story without tripping them up with yet another new function of language. I really like the fact that the events of the story also involve reading and writing as everyday parts of life. These themes subtly suggest to the reader that reading is fun, as well as important.
The illustrations by Mark Simont provide just the right amount of detail and context for the brothers’ interactions. Their faces, especially, help to set the mood for each scene and contribute to the overall love and appreciation the reader feels between them. I also love the way Simont illustrates the various things Ant imagines, from the monster living beneath his bed, to the three little figs mentioned in his brother’s silly Three Pigs retelling.
This is a good, solid easy reader, which will please parents and kids alike. I recommend checking out this and other Penguin Young Readers books for high-quality stories for the newest readers.
The story itself is by Betsy Byars and focuses on the relationship between two brothers. The unnamed older brother narrates the story, relating for the reader the surprising and sometimes annoying things his little brother Anthony does. In the three chapters of this book, Ant fears a monster beneath his bed, uses the narrator’s homework as drawing paper, and asks his brother to read him a story, but refuses to accept the narrator’s creative embellishments on classic fairy tales. The brothers have a sweet and supportive relationship, which is portrayed very positively, even during moments when they drive each other crazy.
Since this is a “transitional reader” it includes a lot of dialogue, which makes room for subtle character development that might not otherwise make it into such a short and simple story. I also noticed a distinct lack of contractions, which makes the writing seem stilted in some places, but also keeps new readers focused on the plot and vocabulary of the story without tripping them up with yet another new function of language. I really like the fact that the events of the story also involve reading and writing as everyday parts of life. These themes subtly suggest to the reader that reading is fun, as well as important.
The illustrations by Mark Simont provide just the right amount of detail and context for the brothers’ interactions. Their faces, especially, help to set the mood for each scene and contribute to the overall love and appreciation the reader feels between them. I also love the way Simont illustrates the various things Ant imagines, from the monster living beneath his bed, to the three little figs mentioned in his brother’s silly Three Pigs retelling.
This is a good, solid easy reader, which will please parents and kids alike. I recommend checking out this and other Penguin Young Readers books for high-quality stories for the newest readers.
March 21, 2011
Four fun short stories about two brothers who get along, but in the usual antagonistic, but loving way. Each story is distinct, so the book could easily be broken up and read at separate times. I love that the two brothers read stories together, too. We enjoyed listening to this book narrated aloud by Bonnie Kelly-Young while we followed along with the book. We borrowed this book as a kit from our library, with an audio CD and a paperback book with ISBN 014038345X.
May 2, 2012
This series of stories told from the perspective of Ant’s older brother is a wonderful portrayal of what it is to be a sibling. I was a younger so it was kind of a fun thing to see it from the eyes of the other. The stories range from humorous to sweet but in a way they all say something about what it is to be a kid. Once again timeless illustrations: these kids could be kids in any year and the imaginative moments just make you giggle.
November 10, 2009
This was a book with several stories about Ant and his brothers. I found it a little boring, but the langauge was easy and therefore maybe I could use this book in my classroom with the oldest students. I think maybe they would find it more interesting than me!
October 11, 2012
Such a sweet sibling (brothers) story for beginning readers. The kids who enjoy this book will likely grow into reading and liking the Fudge books someday. Are there more Ant books... I have to find out!
March 23, 2010
I liked it because when I was little I used to annoy my brother and I used to be scared at night because I thought there was a monster under my bed.
My favorite character is Ant.
My favorite character is Ant.
January 25, 2012
This was a sweet book about two brothers. I especially liked the part at the end where Ant ("Anthony") writes a thank you letter to Santa in July.
June 28, 2012
this book reminds me of my boys-I love seeing them be sweet to eachother. even if they do bug eachother most of the time.
October 23, 2016
Anthony (Ant) has lots of troubles, but his big brother comes to the rescue in three short stories.
I loved this book!
I loved this book!
May 28, 2013
Cute children's book.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews