Sincerely, Antonia: A Big Note from a Tiny Guest - Cortney Cino - ★★★.¾

AUTHOR: Cortney Cino

ILLUSTRATOR: Tadgh Bentley

GENRE: Children's Picture Book.

PUBLICATION DATE: June 3, 2025.

RATING: 3.75 stars.

In a Nutshell: An epistolary picture book with a wackily creative concept. Unusual and humorous. Makes you think from the other perspective. Cute illustrations as well. Might have a negative side effect though. 😉

Plot Preview:

Antonia has been quite happy ever since she and her friends moved into Jay’s house. He’s always kind to them, making sure they have enough delicious food to eat. However, his parents aren’t so happy and they are turning increasingly dangerous. As such, Antonia is forced to take a drastic decision, and she conveys her gratitude as well as her changed plans to Jay through a letter written with the help of her pals.

Here’s the twist to the tale: Antonia is an ant. (‘Ant’onia the ‘ant’: I love it!)

This picture book is innovative in so many ways! It’s epistolary, not something applicable to most picture books. It’s from a non-human character, one whose voice we always disregard. AND it’s an opposite-perspective book, forcing us to see the world from an ant’s point of view.

While all the above features are praiseworthy attempts and quite well-handled, the final point is where the book truly shines. It is hilarious (and also awkward) to see Antonia’s views on Jay’s supposedly benevolent actions, while we the readers know the truth about what’s happening. The contradiction raised some valid doubts, making me wonder if all ants actually look at us humans with the same perspective. 😄

The ending of the story is quite sweet. Though Antonia and her troop often face perilous situations, the finale is a happy one for all. I am sure kids would be relieved that Antonia escapes unharmed. The story might also work to help kids understand that insects aren’t loathsome.

One possible negative of this book is that little readers could feel that leaving a food-crumb mess around the house is a good habit. Before they start dreaming about finding their own ‘Antonia’, it might be a good idea to explain the actual point of the book, and perhaps to read it as satire.

The book ends with some ant facts that are bound to be fascinating for kids. I wish there was also a note about not following Jay’s example as ants, though harmless, aren’t to be encouraged in homes for hygiene reasons.

As mentioned, the story is written in epistolary format. The entire text comes as a letter from Antonia, addressed to Jay in second person. Thus this book could also work for today’s generation to get a peek into the almost-forgotten art of personal letter-writing.

The illustrations are wonderful. All the pages are brightly coloured. The ant gang is sketched in a way that we always see them clearly, even though they are tiny. Antonia is drawn a little differently from the other ants, so it is fun to look for her on every page spread. What I appreciated the most was the ordinary portrayal of Jay’s parents. For once, the parents are drawn realistically, with his mom wearing spectacles and his dad having bushy eyebrows and a moustache instead of the more common glamorous supermodel-style bodies.

Overall, I did enjoy this quirky picture book for its focus on seeing things from the other side – a good habit to have.

Recommended to be read with adult guidance and discussions. This would be an interesting option for kids ages 4-8 years and would work at homes as well as in classrooms.

My thanks to Whimspire Books for providing the DRC of “Sincerely, Antonia” via NetGalley. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.