DEPUTY HARVEY AND THE ANT COW CAPER

Think the Old West is gone? Just check beneath the nearest juicy leaf, where you well might find ants herding aphids (aka “ant cows”) and “milking” them for a sweet excretion called honeydew. From there, it’s only a whoop and a holler to this britches-bustin’ tale of a canny, six-legged Deputy Sheriff on the trail of a gang of rustlers. Set in the bustling, buggy burg of Ant Hill and featuring an all-insect cast decked out in fancy cowboy boots, Stetsons and other western finery, this arthropod oater takes more twists than a bee-stung bronc on its way to a climactic faceoff. As it turns out, the thieves, disguised as ladybugs, include even Deputy Harvey’s own boss—but Harvey triumphs thanks to some unexpected help from a decidedly tough-looking crew of real ladybugs, led by queen beetle Maybelle. There’ll be no problem corralling little dogies for this caper. (author’s note) (Picture book. 6-8)