The Cobbler's Holiday or Why Ants Don't Wear Shoes
By Musharraf Ali Farooqi
Roaring Brook Press, 2008

Book Review by Pooja Makhijani
From Kahani Spring 2009


Have you ever wondered why ants don’t wear shoes? Toronto-based writer Musharraf Ali Farooqi’s, The Cobbler’s Holiday, answers this very question.

You see, long ago, the closets in ants’ houses were once full of shoes. As each had six feet, an ant needed three pairs of shoes for each occasion: three pairs for work, three pairs for outdoors, three pairs for play, three pairs for parties, and three pairs of slippers. In short, thirty shoes for one ant alone!

Half of an ant’s day was spent running errands; the other half was taken up by his or her favorite dance—the Tick-Toe-Hip-Clog-Tock-Hop—which required thirty-six thousand steps in all. All this activity caused much wear and tear on an ant’s shoes.

No worries, though. The one ant cobbler mended shoes and designed new ones and cut leather and stitched. He worked all hours and his shop never closed. All this hard work made him very rich. One day, however, he decided to take a break and spend the rest of his life traveling. He packed all his money in a bag and went far, far away.

Now, what were the stylish ants to do? They find out soon—when they see a bold fashionista dance the Tick-Toe-Hip-Clog-Tock-Hop to a different tune.

Farooqi is an author, novelist, and translator. He is most famous for his translation of the Adventures of Amir Hamza, which tells of the adventures of Amir Hamza, the uncle of the Prophet Mohammed. In The Cobbler’s Holiday (Roaring Brook Press, 2008), his first book for children, he spins a delightful, witty tale.

Russian-born Eugene Yelchin’s glamorous illustrations enchant. His foppish ants wear top hats, fur-trimmed coats, monocles and, of course, shoes. From moccasins and clogs to sandals and slip-ons, readers will love Yelchin’s elaborate, colorful footwear.

The Cobbler’s Holiday is a chic fable about trying something new. This smart, lush book can spark a conversation about sustaining our needs and keeping our wants at bay.