City of Leafcutter Ants: A Sustainable Society of Millions
by Amy Hevron; illus. by the author
Primary    Porter/Holiday    40 pp.
6/24    9780823453184    $18.99

In the rainforests of Central America, leafcutter ants live in colonies of up to “eight million sisters.” Likening the colonies to human cities, Hevron shows how the division of labor across ant subgroups keeps a colony functioning. We travel along with the ants as they move above and below ground—within the green foliage of the rainforest floor and canopy, then down through the tan soil into underground chambers that house ant larvae, laborers, and the queen. Each chamber features a different worker group, analogized to human occupations: caretakers feed the young, builders create tunnels, farmers tend to the important fungus that sustains the colony, etc. When a poison dart frog, “hungry for an all-you-can-eat leafcutter ant buffet,” intrudes, pheromone alerts go out, and soldier ants rush in. The cycle continues as a young queen gathers fungus, embarks on a “mating flight,” and forms a new “city.” Hevron’s textured, brightly colored illustrations (acrylic paintings on wood, digitally collaged) are filled with columns of industrious ants on the move, endlessly trooping across the pages. Additional information about leafcutter ants and colonies and further reading are appended.

From the May/June 2024 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.