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Reviewed by: City of Leafcutter Ants: A Sustainable Society of Millions by Amy Hevron Kate Quealy-Gainer Hevron, Amy City of Leafcutter Ants: A Sustainable Society of Millions; written and illus. by Amy Hevron. Porter/Holiday House 2024 40p Trade ed. ISBN 9780823453184 18. 99 Reviewed from digital galleys R 5-8 yrs In the rainforests of Central America, "a population the size of New York City bustles. … A society of builders and soldiers, caretakers and cleaners, farmers and pharmacists, and foragers. " The community is not one of humans, however, but of the industrious leaf-cutter ants, a colony that started with a young queen and her first batch of eggs. The queen's daughters go on to develop traits that make them especially good at specific jobs, and soon the whole city is thriving—from childcare to sanitation to defense, these bugs have got it all covered. Their work is not only for their benefit: the roots of nearby trees take nutrients from the rich soil the ants turn over, and the plants and branches aboveground grow more lush after being pruned and picked. Framing the ant colony as a city makes Hevron's narrative immediately accessible, as does the assigning of human jobs to explain ant behavior and cooperation. The anthropomorphizing of the ants is mostly for functional explanation and eschews any attempt to make them adorable, focusing instead on their industry and busyness. Collage art feels especially well-suited to this subject and setting, with layered elements giving depth to the expanse of the rainforest as well as the detailed ongoings underneath the trees, and a vibrant End Page 322 color palette matches the ants' busy energy. Follow this storytime offering with a dynamic rendition of The Ants Going Marching. Copyright © 2024 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois
Kate Quealy-Gainer (Thu,) studied this question.