"The Ant and the Grasshopper" Shadow Puppets

Ant and the Grasshopper in Summer

Are you sick of shadow puppets yet? I am definitely not! Here is the last of my shadow puppet posts. You've already seen my versions of Arthur's Nose and Mother Mother I Feel Sick Send for the Doctor Quick Quick Quick, and today I'm sharing "The Ant and the Grasshopper." This is a perfect story for summer reading, if you're doing the "Dig Into Reading" theme.

Ant and the Grasshopper in Winter

I was inspired by Nancy Renfro's Storytelling with Puppets.  I drew the two backgrounds (above and below ground) as well as the grasshopper and two different versions of the ant in Paint. The drawings are based on those in Renfro's book.

I printed these on overhead transparency sheets using our laser printer. If you make them, make sure you are using the right kind of transparency sheet for your printer. A laser printer sheet in an ink jet printer will never dry and it will be Smear City.

If you're looking for the text to this story, any volume of Aesop's fables should have it. Also Rebecca and Ed Emberley recently published a gorgeous version as well.

Looking for more Dig Into Reading ideas? I've compiled mine here. Flannel Friday is rounding up tons of ideas for Dig Into Reading today too, so look for that on Lisa's blog.

Don't forget that the Pennsylvania Library Association is organizing a free webinar on planning summer reading programs this coming Wednesday at 10 a.m. EST. I'm going to be one of the speakers on the panel, so this is an utterly shameless plug.