It's an Orange Aardvark! by Michael Hall
A couple of years ago I reviewed Cat Tale, Michael Hall's third picture book, and took the opportunity to talk about his first two amazing picture books as well. My Heart is Like a Zoo and Perfect Square (my favorite) are both books that rely heavily on the geometric illustrations to tell the stories in brilliant ways. With Cat Tale Hall used homophones to tell a silly story that is sure to be used in classrooms for decades to come. With It's an Orange Aardvark Hall uses die-cuts to tell a silly story of anxious ants.
Five carpenter ants wake up to a rumble and begin to worry about what could be waiting outside their tree stump. When one ant is convinced that there is an aardvark outside waiting to slurp them up, an industrious ant bores a hole in the stump to take a look around. When an orange light shines through, some ants are sure that it is an orange aardvark! The silliness escalates as the holes and the various colors increase. 
When orange, blue and red shine through, the ants are convinced that a "pajama-wearing orange aardvark" carrying a large bottle of ketchup is waiting for them. The ants, remembering that they have wings, decide to fly out into the world where a beautiful rainbow awaits them. A final page turn reveals a hilarious scene that kids will love. It's an Orange Aardvark is suspenseful and entertaining and it's so exciting to see Hall's stories evolve with every new book while his illustration style gets stronger and stronger.
Source: Review Copy
