“Ants are so much fun to watch!” — Unnamed female protagonist, Ants Don’t Wear Pants, n. pag.
| Creator(s) | Kevin McCloskey |
| Publisher | Toon Books |
| Publication Date | 2019 |
| Genre | Educational, Nonfiction |
| Environmental Themes and Issues | Educational Nature Facts, Recycling, Sustainably Produced Text |
| Protagonist’s Identity | An unnamed Black girl |
| Protagonist’s Level of Environmental Agency | Level 1: No Acknowledgement of Environmental Issues |
| Target Audience | Children |
| Settings | Unidentified playground setting |
Environmental Themes
Targeted at young children ages three and over, Kevin Mcloskey’s Ants Don’t Wear Pants provides a humorous but informative overview of ants. The short comic features two humans, a Black girl and a red-haired boy, who encounter ants on their playground. A panel sequence depicts the girl shrinking down to the size of an ant so that she can examine the creatures more closely. The textual narration teaches readers facts about ants, covering their diet, life cycle, social structures, and use of their four senses (touch, hearing, smell, and taste). At the conclusion of the narrative, the girl returns to her regular size, declaring, “These tiny ants are amazing!” (McCloskey n. pag). Though the comic does not address any environmental issues that may impact ants, such as habitat destruction, it does encourage children to learn about ants and marvel at their abilities, rather than treating the insects as creatures to fear or revile.
Other environmental comics produced by Kevin McCloskey include The Real Poop on Pigeons! and We Dig Worms!
Paratexts
The copyright page notes that the comic was produced using sustainable publishing practices: “All our books are… printed with soy-based inks on acid-free, woodfree paper harvested from responsible sources” (McCloskey). Additionally, an “About the Author” page in the comic’s backmatter states that the creator “painted these ant pictures on recycled grocery bags because, just like ants, he believes in recycling.”
