Ants'hillvania

On a shopping trip to our local Christian bookstore a few months ago, I purchased the 20th anniversary edition of Ants'hillvania. I remember listening to this audio production when I was a kid. So buying it was partly an act of nostalgia. However, it was also an effort to start introducing Olivia to more stories on CD. I wanted to get her imagination working as well as help her improve her listening skills.

Written by Jimmy and Carol Owens with Cherry Boone O'Neill (one of Pat Boone's daughters), Ants'hillvania is a musical take on the biblical story of the prodigal son. It centers around Antony, who decides he doesn't want to be like everyone else in the ant colony. Instead, he wants to be "independ-ant." He dreams of being rich and famous. Antony asks his father for his "share of the family fortune" and strikes out on his own on the garden path. Along the way, he mets characters including Mr. Worm and Miss Millipede. In the process he discovers that he's made poor choices.

Ants'hillvania is fun in its effort to teach kids about making wise choices. But, it's also a bit cheesy in parts. Adults can only take so much of the word "ant" being used continually. There's "Ant"ony, Command"ant", independ"ant", Bry"ant," and extravag"ant" to name a few.

Overall, Olivia loves this CD. She sings along to the "Work Song" and "Independ-ant's Song" and asks to listen to the production over and over again. Although each time she listens, she does ask me to skip over the track when Antony is trapped in the spider's cave.

As a mom, I don't mind listening to it multiple times because I love musicals. If you don't care so much for this genre, Ants'hillvania may very well drive you crazy.