AN T PO LL

Y S C AFE

SO CCER FIEL D

CENTIPEDE

Books For Those We Love

A IRY
AN TDDM ILK
ND A
A
HI
P
R
G
NE

AN
TO

AR
T F

AN T

GR

AN D

AN T SC

HO

TO

FI

ANTHILL S INC.

ANTE ROOM

CLOTHING

ANTS IN PANTS

9 788378 290735

danger at the circus

THE runaway DOG
the secret of the spooky house
the goofed up science project

S
CON DO

DR. FEELERS - ANTENNA REPA IR

Look for Andy Ant in his other books, too!

Y L AN D PA R K

The Swimming Hole

Disaster

the swimming hole disaster

Its a beautiful, hot day. Andy goes to a small pool for ants to cool down
and swim. Joey promises to keep an eye on him, but soon forgets about it and
joins in with some kids playing in the street. Suddenly, Andy is washed off with
water and floats towards the canal! Will Joey make it in time to save him?
After an adventurous day, Joey and Andy learn how important it is
to listen to parents and keep promises.

ISBN 978-83-7829-073-5

IR
Y

DETO UR

A N TR A C K D E P O T

CAUTION
RO OT
TRIMM ING

ANTRHOPOLO GY

GRAND ANT THEATER

CHARLIES ANT ANTY MAMME

A little ant with big ideas, and his human friend Joey
will delight your children with their exciting adventures.
The imaginative stories in these fun, colorful books will both entertain
your children and help them learn valuable lessons
that every kid should know.

lawn mower on the loose

runaway ants
the swimming hole disaster
the band music mystery

EXPRESS

JOEYS HOME

ANDYS HOME

Mr. DAVIS
HOME
Creator: Lawrence W. ONan created Andy Ant in the 1970s when he told bed-time
stories to his children. He developed Andy Ant to assist him in instilling values and
providing an imaginary hero for his two daughters. He regularly lectures and teaches
on subjects dealing with values. He and his family reside in California, where is he is
a fund raising consultant with nonprofit organizations.
Author: Gerald D. ONan is the author of the Andy Ants stories. The stories are based
on events that occurred during his childhood and individuals who played important
roles in his life as a child. He actively works with children in his community as a
teacher and storyteller and also teaches seminars in public and private schools on
creative writing and storytelling. He and his family reside in Colorado, where he is
an attorney.
Illustrator: Norman McGary is an internationally recognized illustrator. He began
his career in 1957 when he illustrated childrens books for Walt Disney and became
known for his illustrations in 101 Dalmatians and Sleeping Beauty. His career also includes extensive work with Hanna-Barbera Productions, Warner Brothers, and Jeremiah Films. He resides in California, where he continues to illustrate many projects.

ANDYS
SWIMMING HOLE

ANDYS
ROOM

FAMILY
ROOM

ANT SCHOOL

JOEYS
SCHOOL

STORM
DRAIN

INSIDE
ANDYS HOME
PORCH
STEP

SIDEWALK

HALLWAY

DINING ROOM

Dea r
eth ing
m
o
s
e
n
o
d
r
e
v
Have you e
p po u
s
t
n
e
r
e
w
u
o
y
that you k new
lread y
a
d
a
h
u
o
y
il
t
n
sed to d o it u
p p ea
h
t
a
h
w
s
t
a
th
d one it? Well ,
lea r ned
e
W
.
e
m
d
n
a
ned to And y
bey ou r
o
o
t
is
it
t
n
a
t
r
how impo
imporw
o
h
d
n
a
s
d
a
m o m s a nd d
es.
is
m
o
r
p
p
e
e
k
o
ta nt it is t
u ch a s
m
s
a
n
r
a
le
u
I hop e yo
!
And y a nd I d id
Sincelery,
Joey

The Swimming Hole Disaster

Created by Lawrence W. ONan
Written by Gerald D. ONan
Illustrated by Norman McGary
Dedicated to Jessica Leigh ONan

Vocatio PUBLISHING HOUSE

Warsaw

It was a hot summer afternoon. As I walked

outside, I was sure glad that my mom had said
I could wait until evening to finish pulling the
weeds in the garden. I walked over to the crack
in the sidewalk and looked in. I wanted to see
if Andy Ant was in his room.
I bent over and whispered, Andy, are you
in there? I had to whisper because Mr. Davis, our next-door neighbor, was out in his yard. If he heard me,
he might think I was talking to the sidewalk. And I didnt want to
have to explain what I was really doing. Most grown-ups would
think talking to ants was even stranger than talking to the sidewalk!
There was no answer from Andy, so I thought to myself, Where
would an ant go on a day like this? Well, I knew where I would be
if my mom hadnt told me not to leave the yard. Id be over at the
swimming pool. And I knew Andy and I think a lot alike, even
though hes a philosopherthats what we call Andy because he
has deep thoughts and understands how important it is to do things
rightand Im just what he calls a regular kid. So maybe he was
at his swimming hole.

I walked over to the any swimming hole. Its where

the gutter dips along the curb in front of my house.
Sure enough, there was Andy. He was lying on his
beach towel, sleeping. Hey, Andy, what are you doing? I asked
as I kneeled down.
Andy slowly opened his eyes. Hi, Joey, he said with a smile.
Im just waiting for Parker to come out so I can go swimming.
Parker is Andys older brother, a real practical kind of ant. Why
do you have to wait for Parker? I asked Andy. The water isnt going to be any warmer if Parker is here, is it?

Andy just made a face at me. I have to wait for Parker because my
dad said to. You see, Parker is a better swimmer than I am. And
my dad says I cant go swimming without Parker.
Oh, youre a great swimmer, I said. What could possibly happen?
Well, I dont know . . . Andy started.
You do whatever you want, I said, but I dont think your
dad realizes youre getting old enough to do nearly anything you
want.

10

At first, Andy looked a little unsure. But as I talked, he became

more confident that nothing could go wrong. Besides, it was a hot
day and the water would feel great! Then I thought of something.
Andy, I said, I can watch you. My mom said I couldnt leave
the yard, so Ill be here. Youll be perfectly safe! Andy brightened
up.

11

I guess youre right, Joey. There isnt really any reason to wait. And the sun is so hot!
With that, Andy jumped up from his beach towel and headed for the diving board. It wasnt
a real diving board, it was an old branch that
hung over the curb. But it worked for the ants.

With as much grace and poise as a fourth-grade ant could muster, Andy did a gliding ant dive into the water. Actually, a gliding ant dive is a lot like a swan dive. But Andy thinks swans eat
ants, so we dont use that name.
Andy came to the surface of the water and hollered, Wow, Joey,
the water is great! Too bad the gutter isnt bigger so you could come
in too!
I sat on the edge of the curb, watching Andy as he swam and did
some other dives. Every time he looked at me, he would tell me
how nice the water was.

The sun was getting hotter and hotter, and Id

had just about enough of Andy saying how
great the water was. Then I noticed some kids
up the street gathering around a fire hydrant.
Wow, I thought, wouldnt it be great if they
were going to turn it on? Sure enough, thats
what the firemen were getting ready to do.
By now, Andy had gotten tired of swimming
and had crawled up on a floating leaf. He looked like he was asleep
again, so I decided not to bother him. I would just run up the street
for a while to play in the water from the hydrant.

I got there just as water shot out of the hydrant.

It felt really good!
Boy, what fun on a hot summer day! I turned
to look back down the street, and I froze in horror.

A wall of water
was rushing down the gutter
right toward Andys swimming hole! I
was sure that Andy was still fast asleep
on the leaf. If he didnt wake up and get
out of the swimming hole before the water hit, he would be washed right down
the storm sewer drain! I ran toward him,
yelling, Andy! Andy!
As I got closer I saw Andy on the leaf,
sleeping away. Andy! Wake up! I screamed at the top of
my lungs. Our neighbor, Mr. Davis, looked all around to see
who I was yelling at. I knew I would have some explaining
to do later, but I didnt care. The important thing was to warn
Andy.
But it was too late. The wall of water hit the swimming
hole, and Andy was on a one-way trip to the storm sewer.

17

Andy! Andy! I continued to yell. Just as the leaf was about to

be washed down the drain, Andy woke up. Seeing what was about
to happen, he grabbed the edge of the leaf and looked back at me.
The last words I heard him say were, Get Parker, quick! And
then he was gone.

I froze again as I watched the water run into

the drain. My legs felt like jelly and I thought
I was going to be sick. But I had to go find
Parker. I charged down the sidewalk toward
Andys house and almost stepped on Parker. He
was loaded down with his radio and umbrella
over one shoulder, and a lounge chair and
jug of lemonade over the other one. I was
surprised he could even stand up. Hey, slow down, Joey,
he said dropping his stuff all over the sidewalk. One wrong
step and you would have had squashed ant for supper.

Oh, Parker. I gasped, youve got to come to the swimming

hole, fast!
Sure, sure, Im coming, he said as he leaned over to pick his
stuff up. But its going to take me a few minutes to get all my gear
down there.
But Parker, I pleaded. Andys in trouble! He went in swimming cause I said Id watch him and I wasnt supposed to leave
the yard and the fire hydrant was on so I went up the block to play
in it and the water washed Andy down the storm sewer! I said it
all so fast I wasnt sure Parker understood. But he caught the most
important part.
Did you say Andy was washed down the storm sewer? he
asked, dropping his gear all over the sidewalk again.
Uh huh, I said, wiping away a tear.

22

Well, lets go! Parker yelled as he hopped on my right sneaker.

And we ran back down the sidewalk.
When we got to the gutter, Parker took one look at the water
gushing down the drain and said, Oh no! If only I hadnt taken so
much time to find all my gear! Wed better go get my dad!

24

We ran over to the vacant lot where Mr. Ant worked, building ant
condominiums. Parker jumped off my shoe and ran to find his dad.
When his dad heard what had happened to Andy, he rounded up
several of his best workers. They all got on my sneakers and we
nearly flew back to the gutter in front of my house.

25

While Andys dad was deciding what to do, the firemen up the
street turned off the hydrant, and the gush of water became a
trickle. Just as Mr. Ant was moving things into action, a little ant
head popped up from the edge of the storm sewer grate. It was
Andy!
Andy! we all yelled. Youre safe!
Yeah, he said with a smile as his dad ran over to wrap him in
a towel and hug him. But I thought I was a goner for sure. I was
really glad I was on the leaf, cause it got stuck in the grate. And I
was able to get off and hold onto the bottom side of the grate until
the water stopped. Just think, I might have been floating somewhere under the city of Grand Ant by now. Maybe I wouldnt even
have been floating at all...
Youre right. Andy. said Mr. Ant. This could have been much
worse. But it wouldnt have happened if youd waited for Parker
like I told you to. Andy looked down at the ground and I felt pretty bad about talking him into going swimming.

26

While Mr. Ant helped Andy dry off, I decided I should explain that
it wasnt all Andys fault. Mr. Ant listened as I told him what had
happened. And Parker even apologized for taking so long to find
his gear.
Since everything seemed to be under control, Mr. Ant and his
workers went back to the vacant lot. But before he left, he told
Andy and Parker that there would be a serious talk at their house
that evening.
As Parker walked back up the sidewalk to pick up his scattered
gear, Andy and I sat clown on the curb.
Boy he said, I just hate it when dad says were going to have a
serious talk. Id rather hed spank me so it would be over faster.

Then he looked at me. But you know. Joey. he said in his philosophers voice, we were both wrong in what we did today. I should
have obeyed my dad and not gone swimming without Parker. Ive
even heard your mom say that God wants us to obey our parents.
And you should have stayed there to watch me like you promised
you would.
Im really sorry, Andy, I said afraid I was going to cry again.
I know you are. Andy said, still talking in that low, serious
voice.
Just then I heard my mother call from the front door. Joseph
Tyler Johnson, she said to me, where have you been? I thought I
told you not to leave the yard! You come in here right now. I think
we need to have a little talk about obeying your parents!
Uh, coming, mom, I said, then I looked down at Andy and
shrugged. I guess Ill get to learn two lessons today instead of
one.

28

He just smiled and said, Well be sure you listen close. Your
moms pretty smart, for a person.
I will, Andy, I promise, I said, getting up to go inside.
Later, as I got ready for bed, I thought about the day. I was glad
everything had turned out all right. And I was really glad Andy
was safe. I remembered the look on his face as the leaf had been
washed away... then I smiled.
One things for sure I said with a little laugh. With Andy for
a friend, this summer will never be boring! Then I hurried to get
ready for bed, looking forward to tomorrow and my next adventure with Andy Ant.

Mom

Dickter

Uncle Andrew

Parker

Angelica

Dad

Your Friend,
Andy
Andys Family (Me)

Mom

Dad

Freckles

Becky

Dwayne
Your Friend,
Joey
Joeys Family (Me)

The Adventures of Andy Ant.

The Swimming Hole Disaster

Copyright 1995 by Andy Ant Productions, Inc.

10951 W. Center Ave., Lakewood, CO 80226, U.S.A.
All rights reserved

Copyright for the English edition

(excluding North America)
1996 by VOCATIO PUBLISHING HOUSE
All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book, or any portions thereof, in any form.
No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic
or mechanical, magnetic, chemical, optical, manual, or otherwise, including photocopying, recording,
or by any information storage or retrieval system without prior written permission from VOCATIO.
For the permission please contact:
VOCATIO PUBLISHING HOUSE
Polnej Ry 1
02-798 Warsaw
POLAND
e-mail: ceo@vocatio.us
www.vocatio.us
Printed in Poland

ISBN 978-83-7829-073-5