I Have Ants in My Pants: A Picture Book About Learning Self-Control and Respecting Others Space

I think there's some value in this book but it references a couple of her other books (which kids won't be able to relate to unless they've read them) and has some of the same suggestions as her one about being a verb. Probably not one I'll use a lot.

Cute story and my 5 year old enjoyed it, easily relatable for a wiggly kiddo

Julia Cook has an amazing talent for teaching students how to problem solve! She speaks their language!

Rating: 2.5 starsThis is a cute book about a young kid named Louis who gets the wiggles and everyone keeps telling him that he has "ants in his pants." Every time someone tells him this he does this little internal monologue thing with an AA BB ABCB rhyming scheme that was actually kind of annoying. The rest of the book mostly doesn't rhyme, except sometimes there's a sort of forced sort of rhyming scheme. It just doesn't flow well. Also Louis's internal rhyme is so repetitive that my six year was rolling his eyes and literally yelling at the book "NOT AGAIN" by the end.At the end Louis's mom explains to him that he is a "verb" sort of kid who needs to be moving around and gives him some solutions to how he can learn to sit still, like by doing a wiggle dance before he needs to sit down for a while, making sure he has a personal space bubble, and having a fidget toy to help him pay attention. I think it got a bit about my boys' heads during the advice for how to "be the boss of your ants." That part lost my 4 year old's attention, but was probably some good advice for my 6 year old (who is also a verb, and about to start Kindergarten).Guest review by Jaime (age 6): "You can't see any ants because they're inside, bro. He's saying the same thing over and over. STOP SAYING THE SAME THING."Did you like the book? "Yes."Would you read it again? "Yeah, sure."Would you tell other kids to read this book? "Sure, if they want to."Guest review by Link (age 4):Did you like the book? "Yeah!"What was your favorite part? "The other guy had ants in him pants."What was your least favorite part? "The other guy and then next girl had pants in her pants." (I ... am not sure what this means, like I said, he stopped paying attention about halfway through.)Would you read it again? "Yeah."Would you tell other kids to read this book? "Yeah."

Poor Louis has "wiggilitis" ( yes I just made that name up). He cannot control his impulses to stay still. Whatever he is doing, wherever he is the wiggles sneak up on him and he lets loose. Every time he erupts with enthusiastic bursts an adult tells him he has ants in his pants. He doesn't quite know what that means but when he inspects his pants closely he sees no sign of ants whatsoever.His mother explains to him that having ants in your pants means you wiggle a lot and she explains to him how he might get control of his outbursts. She teaches him the Wiggle Dance. Now that sounds like fun and doable right?"Wiggle and jiggle.Jump up and down.Shake your handsand turn around.Take a deep breath.Scrunch up your nose.Wobble your kneesand wiggle your toes."Louis learns when he sits down to make sure he has his own personal space bubble around him which makes perfect sense now that we have to social distance from each other. She hands him a focus squishy that will keep his fingers busy so he'll be able to pay attention, and finally she encourages him not to talk while others are speaking so he can hear what they have to say."If you can do all of these things, Louis,you can be the boss of your ants."The illustrations are expressive, and kid friendly making the message of the book resonate with kids. The author has included "Tips for Teaching Kids to Sit Still" at the end of the book for parents, teachers and caregivers. I highly recommend this book.

This book is just what I needed to talk to those little wigglers that just don’t sit still, perfect for self-control classroom lessons. Louis from My mouth is a Volcano (another fave book) is back, this time to help teach us to control our wiggles. The book starts out with Louis struggling to control his wiggles on the carpet during storytime, waiting in line in the cafeteria, and while watching a movie in a theater. His mom decided to teach him the wiggle dance:Wiggle and jiggle.Jump up and down.Shake your handsand turn around.Take a deep breath.Scrunch up your nose.Wobble your kneesand wiggle your toes.I can already see doing this dance with a bunch of students, they are going to love it! It also discusses personal space, using a focus squishy, and not talking while others are speaking. Staying in our personal space is now more important than ever with the need for safe social distancing, this book is a must-have for teachers and counselors alike.

My son is an absolute wiggle worm. He doesn't stop. When we met Louis, the hero in I Have Ants in My Pants, my son immediately identified with him, and for the first time he met a character who wriggles and squirms just like he does! Louis learns several strategies to help him wiggle less in school and situations where constant movement just isn't acceptable. My son has tried these strategies and they have helped him a lot, more than anything to know that there are other kids out there like him who need to do the same things he does to help calm down his body so his mind can focus better! As a former teacher I think this book would fit in perfectly with the beginning of the school year when establishing rituals and routines. All children need to learn self-moderation and strategies to help them meet their needs as learners, and this book can do just that for kids of all ages--I also really appreciate all of the tips and strategies included in the very back of this book!

My son loved it.