about the book
Something is making a ruckus outside the home of five carpenter ants.
One ant thinks it must be a hungry aardvark, just waiting for them to leave their home. Another ant makes a hole in the stump, trying to see outside.
Orange light comes flooding in—it can’t be an aardvark. It’s orange!
So the ants keep making more holes, which reveal more and more colors.
What is outside their home?
about the author/illustrator
Michael Hall creates his own video trailers for his books. Most writers can just barely get their laptop to work, but then again, Michael has a really unusual background for a writer.
He earned a bachelor’s of science degree from the University of Michigan. For several years he worked in bio-chemical research before becoming a graphic designer.
In 1984, Michael co-founded Hall Kelley, Inc. This award-winning firm specializes in creating identity designs (logos) for companies, and Michael is the principal designer. Logos are meant to tell a lot about a company with a few simple shapes. Michael does the same thing with his illustrations for his children’s books—he tells a story using a few simple shapes.
The process he uses to create his illustrations is referred to as acrylic monotype ink prints. See this site for a great demonstration of just how he makes the prints. The process involves snitching his wife’s pinking shears without her catching him!
Michael lives with his wife Debra and their two daughters on a farm in a small town northeast of St. Paul/Minneapolis, Minnesota. His studio is in a converted barn on the farm.
Sources:
Author/Illustrator website
Illustrator’s company website : Hall Kelley
Illustrator process : From the Studio/Greenwillow Books
Author profile : Greenwillow Books
Also by Michael Hall:
Red : A Crayon’s Story. Greenwillow. 2015.
Cat Tale. Greenwillow. 2012.
Perfect Square. Greenwillow. 2011.
My Heart Is Like a Zoo. Harper Collins. 2010.
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