Algy Ant

One of my favourite childhood memories is of my brother and I each night being read "The Antics Of Algy'. Algy- or more formerly 'Algernon'- was a young ant who would wriggle out of any hard work going in his colony, and subsequently get himself into all manner of scraps, some of which were life-threatening and quite thrilling to a little person.

'The Antics Of Algy' was published in 1946, having been first created as an ABC radio play for children by writer Musette Morell (1898-1950). My mother, Marg Oakley, was born in 1942, and 'Algy' was given to her as a little girl and read to her by her father. In 1962 I was born, and my father in turn read it to me and my brother, who was 13 months my junior. Fast forward another two decades, and I found myself dusting off the world-weary copy of Algy Ant to read my five sons, born between 1985 and 1997.

Algy had such an impact on me that to this day I just can't kill an ant...I am still fascinated by ant colonies, and the sight of swarming 'marriage ants' still thrills me. Musette Morell wrote the perfect children's educational book, with learning sneaking up via humour and adventure.

I find it very sad that this book is such a rarity in 2011...copies appear in second hand bookshops occasionally, but carry a price tag in excess of one hundred dollars. I feel that this little book should be available to anyone who wants to read it to their child or grandchild- I certainly look forward to one day reading it to a fourth generation of my family.

I hope that the pages of 'The Antics Of Algy' that have been scanned and reproduced here will bring joy to fellow readers who delighted in Algy as children, as well as newcomers to his adventures.