City of Leafcutter Ants: A Sustainable Society of Millions

Tunnel under the rainforest floor into the bustling metropolis of the leafcutter ants, each with a different job to do.

Leafcutter ants are masters at building and running their city. With a population to rival NYC, they employ builders, farmers, nannies, cleaners, and even pharmacists! Brave foragers venture into the trees to bring back slices of leaf to keep the fungus crops growing, while those at home expand the city’s tunnel network and tend to the young—and the queen, the city’s founder. 

Whether already fascinated by bugs or just discovering them, young readers will be captivated by Amy Hevron’s colorful, inviting illustrations and accessible language. The City of Leafcutter Ants is both informative and fun, robustly researched and approachable, with backmatter for further learning. In walking us through this sprawling ant society, Hevron reminds us that as different as we may feel from a tiny six-legged insect, humans are neither the only nor the first creatures of Earth to organize ourselves into ingenious collective living.

An ALSC Notable Children's Book
A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection
A Bank Street Best Children's Book of the Year
An Evanston Public Library Blueberry Honor Book