Teachers regularly hear students complain: 'Someone has taken my pencil!'More often than not, this is not the case - the pencil has merely been misplaced.This book explores that very situation. It can only be resolved by mobilising an entire family of ants. Each (alphabetically ordered) ant has her or his own personality which assists (or does not assist) in solving the case. The alphabet, perseverance, working as a team, looking for simple solutions to problems and interacting with different personality types are amongst the themes which can be explored and discussed in class or at home.The trouble all begins when Alan the ant cannot find his shoes. He is very angry about this.He needs to call on his entire family to help find them.They all have a role to play - but everything is not as it seems...Who has the shoes and where are they?