original stories · Ages 3-5

A Very Long Line of Ants

A child follows an ant trail across the garden to see where it ends, and finds a whole busy city.

The whole story

1. At sunrise, a four-year-old child found a line of ants beside the garden gate.

2. The child raised one red boot and followed the ants past the mint.

3. The line crossed damp soil, curled around stones, and reached the tall grass.

4. The child crouched beside a puddle, where the ants waited at its edge.

5. Together, the ants carried a dry leaf across the puddle like a little bridge.

6. The child stepped over the leaf, and the long line climbed toward a stone.

7. At the stone, the trail disappeared into a narrow crack beneath its edge.

8. The child knelt close and found a small doorway beneath the stone.

9. Through the doorway, the child saw warm rooms, busy streets, and ants sharing work.

10. The child followed the trail to its end and found a whole busy city.

Make a story like this →