This book was much too dense for the intended age. I couldn't get my kids, who are typically big readers, to sit through it.

Juan Hormiga is one of my favorites tales by the argentinian author, Gustavo Roldán. It was such a nice surprise to find this edition available as an arc in NetGalley. A well known author in my country, Roldan's works are a journey through the nature and it's habitants. In this occasion, as the tittle says, we meet an interesting ant who must overcome different problems. The illustrations are more in a minimalistic line, the colors and design of characters are really nice. I think this book is the perfect present for kids but also for grown ups since it's story dwelves in themes such as courage and adventure.

3.5 / 5 stars

~ Thanks to NetGalley and Archipelago / Elsewhere Editions for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review ~

I'm not entirely sure how I feel about "Juan Hormiga." It's a story that I can imagine a child between the ages of 6 and 8 having a fair bit of fun with, but as an adult I just wanted to yell at his ant friends, "Do you even know Juan at all???" That said, I can actually imagine a parent and their child having a good laugh over the silliness of the situation. The art style was interesting and quite different from that of any of the other picture books I've reviewed today, and what I found really clever was the way the dialogue was written in red rather than encircled by quotation marks; this red matched Juan's colour and provided a nice aesthetic consistency throughout the book. So you know what? As mixed as this review is, I would definitely suggest parents check out this book to see if it's a fit for their family, particularly if their child enjoys farcical humour.


Summary
Recommended age range: 6-8
Pros: interesting illustrations; a fun, consistent aesthetic throughout the book
Cons: infuriatingly illogical characters

Thank you for the chance to review this book in exchange for honest feedback. I think this was a delightful children's book. The illustrations were a bit different than I ever see in books nowadays; I liked them. I also enjoyed the storyline.

Juan Horminga by Gustavo Roldan is a lovely little tale of adventure and naps. Full of character. The illustrations are wonderful and add to the book.

I loved this. It's sweet and contemplative and hides its layers in simplicity in the way of the best picture books. As the blustering ant full of tall tales - who one day sets out on his own dangerous adventure - Juan is brilliantly likeable. The test of a picture book is whether you can read it a thousand times back to back without losing it - and I think this would definitely take a long time to outstay its welcome.

I really enjoyed this "epic" of a picture book. It's not often that I read picture books like this one. The story is strong, the illustrations are simple but beautiful (the texture on the willow tree looks almost like embroidery), and it's fun!

My only complaint is that dialogue is shown by the use of red text instead of quotation marks. Picture books are the first place most children see sentences. It's important that picture books demonstrate the rules of grammar so that children are able to see those rules in action. The practice of not using quotations is appropriate for literary fiction for adults, but for children who are just learning to read and understand the rules of writing, it can become confusing.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to provide an honest review in exchange for a free e-copy of this book.

Juan Hormiga is an ant with two skills, taking naps and telling tales of his grandfather. One day Juan Hormiga announces to his fellow ants that he is embarking on an adventure similar to the ones in the stories he has told them of his grandfather and leaves the ant hill with nothing but memories of his stories. When a natural disaster hits, the ants assume the worst and go in search of Juan Hormiga and silliness ensues.

This is a fun story that pays tribute to family storytellers and the way lore is born. The illustrations are simplistic but enough to convey the humor, excitement, and emotion of each tiny character.

I thought that this was a lovely little book.

It had some very simple images but they worked really well with the story.

It is a simple tale that was a lot of fun.

It is 4 stars from me for this one, very highly recommended and a great little read!

Such a sweet book for 2-5 year olds, showing children the power of imagination, and story telling. It's a short book so we don't get to know Juan very well, but I could definitely see him taking part in further adventures in future books.

With simple textured illustrations, this book paints such a picture of the stories being told. I really loved the pace of this story as well as it's ease of story telling.

This is a thoroughly enjoyable, excellent children's book. One I would love to read with a child (and will do, as I plan to buy one when published! (I got an advance copy via NetGalley. This is a honest, unprompted review.)

Everybody knows La Fontaine's The Ant and the Grasshopper´s fable, I suppose. The interesting thing here is that the ¨lazy¨ character is just another ant... but the point of Juan Hormiga (John Ant) is that everybody accepts him because he is a great... storyteller!! <br /><br />I will not spoil the storyline, but suffice to say that this is a fable which can be read in a number of ways - the need for art, for dreams, for adventures, for family lore... it is well translated into English from SA Spanish and the illustrations seem nice - I cannot really judge them as I read it in a B&W Kindle, not ideal to judge a picture book..

I recommend it!

Every class needs this uplifting little burst of a book, Juan Hormiga from Steerforth Press.
. Regaling memories of his grandfather's brave adventures, this little napping ant spreads a message of courage, wanderlust & the gift of storytelling wherever he ventures. Charming, with clever illustrations!

Ha! I loved this tale! Funny from beginning to end. Kids are going to so enjoy reading about this storytelling ant. He is as lazy as all get out, but tells such great tales of his grandfather, that the whole colony will stop to listen. One day Joe Hormiga the storytelling ant, decides rather than just tell the tales, he will venture forth to experience adventure himself. A sudden rainstorm has the colony fighting for it's life and then wondering did Joe Hormiga survive? Well, I won't give away the ending. Just be sure to know it will bring much amusement and laughter to the reader! Illustrations were fun!

Fun, literate little piece with a good old-fashioned quality, these sparse pages and small illustrations capture an ant with a hugely impressive grandfather's history to recount – or a huge imagination. For we as an audience of the book have to wonder if any of it ever happened, but the audience our ant has in the book is unquestioning about the grandfather's daring-do adventures and bravery, and therefore never bat an eyelid when he says he's going off to do the same. It won't be to everyone's tastes, but it's a worthwhile lesson in the power of a good storyteller.

Juan Hormiga is an interesting children's book, and I'm sure many adults would enjoy reading it as well. I love the illustrations and Juan Hormiga and read it in 5 minutes! Amazingly, we get to read more foreign voices in children's literature.

A fun adventure for young readers, packed with a love for storytelling and energetic illustrations. This would make a great series of chapter books.