- Aunt Ant Leaves Through the Leaves published by Holiday House
- Written by: Nancy Coffelt
- Illustrated by: Nancy Coffelt
- We recommend this book for kids ages 4 and up
What It Is
Beginning readers often find homonyms and homophones challenging, but this book can be a great teaching tool at home or in classroom. The story is about a monkey who’s having trouble getting a huge load of bananas home. He asks his animal and insect friends to help, but each has an excuse. And each excuse features one or more homonym pairs. For example, the bear can’t help, because a fir tree leaked sap all over his fur. Finally Aunt Ant comes to rescue with her army of ant friends and each carry a banana to monkey’s home. They make a wonderful banana cream pie to share with all of their animal friends.
Is It Fun?
For parents, like myself, who may have forgotten, homonyms are words that sound the same and are spelled differently, and homophones are words that are spelled the same, but have different meanings. This book is loaded with both which makes for lots of laughs for parents and kids, and is a great way to keep the kids sharp during the summer months.
Who It’s For
Whether at home or in the classroom, this book is a fantastic choice for early elementary school students who are learning about homophones and homonyms.
What To Be Aware Of
This book is only available in hardcover and retails for about $16.95, but it is a fair amount to pay at your school or camp’s book fair. (Homophone intended!) And for combining fun and learning, this kind of reading fare is always a good choice. (And there’s a homonym.)