Bestselling author Toprak Işık makes English debut with The Ant Rebellion

The Ant Rebellion

Toprak Işık

Illustrated by Sedat Girgin     

Translated by Alvin Parmar

Tomorrow marks publication of the first in a series of new books from Five Oceans — Oratia Book's venture to bring books in translation to readers across Oceania. 

In the first Five Oceans book, renowned Turkish author Toprak Işık makes his English debut with The Ant Rebellion.

Set in the insect world, where farmer ants rebel against their warrior cousins, this junior novel has sold over 30,000 copies in Turkey. 

 

The Ant Rebellion is a superb read for 8–12 year-olds touching on themes of freedom and resistance, with drawings by prominent artist Sedat Girgin and translator Alvin Parmar.

‘US and UK authors gain translations worldwide, while great authors from other cultures aren’t available in English,’ commented Oratia publisher Peter Dowling. 

‘Five Oceans aims to help redress that imbalance. We are delighted to be publishing Toprak's work, and providing a home for more translations along with Oratia's previous international acquisitions.' 

The Ant Rebellion was published by Tudem Publishing Group, an independent publisher based in Izmir, Turkey. Rights for the Oceania edition were negotiated by the Black Cat Agency (Goksun Bayraktar and Nazlı Gürkaş).

The publishers were helped support from by Translation and Publication Grant Program of Turkey to publish the book in New Zealand, Australia and the South Pacific.

An interview with Toprak Işık about The Ant Rebellion will appear on this blog on the weekend.

Publication: 15 October 2025  |  ISBN: 978-1-99-004293-5 |  RRP $25.99

Paperback, 210 x 148 mm portrait, 98 pages, b&w