Little Ant & the Ice Cream Mystery - $10.00

Welcome to my fourth Little Ant book! It is a story inspired by the child in me. Sure, it’s centered around my sons’ favorite treat (ice cream!), but when choosing the actual story, I tried to write a book that I would've enjoyed as a kid. So, this story is a little bit different from the rest. It is not based on any specific event that happened in our lives, but on my old-time favorites. I tapped into the past, wrote from the heart, and created a really fun mystery for all to enjoy!

Before I could put pen to paper, I had to think back to my childhood. What did I like in a good book? What types of stories do I even remember reading? I went to Catholic school, which means we read A LOT. A few good books came to mind. One was And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie. I remember being blown away by that book! The mystery and the suspense were amazing. And then in high school, we read Bleak House by Charles Dickens. That was also an incredible book. We read it in segments, much like the ‘episodes’ that were originally published in the 1800’s. We were not allowed to read past the assigned chapter, so it really built the suspense and kept us wanting more. That, too, was a fantastic mystery.

As you can see, many books influenced me as a child, but I would be remiss not to mention TV shows, as well. My all-time favorite was Scooby Doo. I must’ve watched every episode, ten times over! I absolutely loved trying to solve those mysteries. And of course, hanging out with ghosts and ghouls were a real treat, too!   

  
This all led me to write my very first mystery. Coming up with the story was fun, but drawing the pictures was even funner! (I know that’s not a word, but it should be!) When it came to illustrating this book, I really abandoned my inhibitions. The pictures just flowed. The colors seemed brighter, the pigs seemed piggier. As I was designing it, I would say, “I think I need a grasshopper here.” Or “How about a flock of geese over there?” And then I would just draw it. I had a renewed confidence in myself. The best example of this ‘new illustrator in me’ would be the cover of the book. It was like the cherry on the...well, ice cream sundae! I really loved all the colors and creating that awesome, swirling effect. Of course, I tried to draw that swirl by hand, but I knew instantly that it wasn’t going to work. I will thank Photoshop for the assistance on that one! In a final, bold, and daring move, I colored the cover black. It not only captured the spirit of the mystery, but made the colors really pop off the page. It was a great move because I am now IN LOVE with that book cover!

In the end, Little Ant & the Ice Cream Mystery turned out to be a fun, silly, and exciting story—one that I would’ve loved to have read as a child. It is the perfect, sweet mystery for the little ant to solve!