Alice and Gert: an ant and grasshopper story

"As in the traditional ant and grasshopper fable, winter is coming and Alice the ant is industriously stocking up nuts and seeds to see her through the harsh season. Meanwhile, Gert the grasshopper is carefree, singing songs, performing plays, and creating art out of the flowers and leaves around her. At first Alice disapproves, but as she gathers her stores, she finds herself humming Gert's tunes and is awestruck by the beauty of the grasshopper's creations. But the leaves start to fall and Alice wonders what will become of Gert over the winter, attempting to chide the grasshopper into productive action. Gert, however, dances on until one morning her nest is rimed with frost and she's down to one dry maple key for breakfast. Shivering and not knowing what to do, she tells Alice she fears she'll starve over the winter. Alice reminds Gert of her lack of foresight, singing and dancing through summer rather than planning ahead. But Alice has developed a soft spot for Gert over the summer-the grasshopper's works of art lightened her load, and she wants to extend kindness to her new friend in appreciation and acknowledgment of a different kind of work and effort that is also important to everyday life: artistic labour. Alice reveals that she's collected enough food to last the winter-for both of them. With its soft palette and gorgeous graphite drawings, Alice and Gert is a tribute to true friendship, kindness, hard work, and the importance and value of art, taking place in a natural setting that is both homey and a touch fantastical"--