Little Ant, Big Thinker, or Where Does the Ocean End? by Andre Usatschow, illustrated by Alexandra Junge Ages 4-8 32 pages NorthSouth March 2009 Hardcover     A little ant (who is a big thinker) stands on a beach, wondering where the ocean ends. The more he thinks about it, the more his head hurts, until he sits down and cries. A passing elephant offers his help - perhaps if they both stood on tiptoe, they might see where the ocean ended? When this idea fails as well, the intrepid thinkers go back to the drawing board and come up with another ingenious plan. Finally, a fish offers a solution: it has been swimming in the ocean for a long, long time, and it knows where the ocean ends - right where the ant and elephant are standing, where the water meets the land. What looks to the ant standing on land as the beginning of the ocean, looks to the fish swimming in the ocean as the edge of the ocean. But now, little ant, big thinker has a new question: “Where does the ocean begin?” This is a wise and gently humorous little book by Russian author Andre Usatschow about the big questions that a young child has, and how the world can look very different depending on one’s perspective. Attractive and amusing illustrations in pastel colors by German artist Alexandra Junge are the perfect complement to this story.     web reviews   Usha Reynolds/2010 for curled up with a good kid's book   For grown-up fiction, nonfiction and speculative fiction book reviews, visit our sister site Curled Up With a Good Book (www.curledup.com)