Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Via vivid prose, Hevron (The Longest Journey) introduces the leafcutter ants of Central America's tropical forests, beings whose highly organized social structure supports millions of inhabitants. Readers begin by viewing a parade of tiny insects carrying leaf fragments aboveground; the events that unfold in their networks of underground passages, shown in cutaway views, are just as fascinating. In lime greens and earth tones, graphic-style close-ups use simple, cutout-style shapes and expressive lines to show the ants at work. Leafcutter farmers "chew the leaf cuttings into a paste and feed it to a fungus garden"--fungus brought to the colony by its queen at its inception. This food sustains the population of eight million differentiated insects: caretakers that nurture the colony's larvae and queen, pharmacists that make antibiotics from their own bodies to keep disease at bay, soldiers that repel an intruding frog, and more. At last, taking a few of the nest's fungal threads with her, a new queen leaves the community to start another. Throughout this work that compares the colony to New York City in size and complexity, engaging descriptions ("Bystanders zig, zag.... Haulers skitter, scatter") make readers feel its industry and complexity. More about the species concludes. Ages 4--8. Agent: Kirsten Hall, Catbird Productions. (June)
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Review by Horn Book Review
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. Danielle J. FordMay/June 2024 p.156 (c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Bright collages dominated by rainforest greens depict an insect community of "eight million sisters working together." It begins, as all leafcutter ant nests do, with a single queen. The nest she establishes appears in cross-section as a sprawling network of round chambers connected by straight, crisscrossing tunnels. Within, red ants scurry about, performing the essential duties any large community requires of its citizens: They are "builders and soldiers, caretakers and cleaners, farmers and pharmacists, and foragers." Hevron doesn't attempt realistic depictions but neither does she anthropomorphize her subjects, instead gesturing at the physical differences within the community by showing their varying sizes. Her inspired text uses appropriate vocabulary, informing readers of the antibiotics the pharmacist ants produce, the pheromone the worker ants emit when threatened, and the mandibles the forager ants use to harvest bits of leaves. The pacing and structure are impeccable, while the information is deftly conveyed. Listeners learn early on of the fungus that the queen brings from her birth nest ("an essential ingredient for the new city's survival"); after exploring the bustle of the city, the text returns to the fungus, informing little ones that "the garden that started from [it] now feeds the entire city of eight million." Two pages of further information will help adults answer any questions the text might elicit. A fascinating introduction to an amazing insect. (bibliography, further reading, author's note) (Informational picture book. 4-8) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
