Beneath a Central American rainforest there exists a bustling, thriving city of eight million. Leafcutter ants, that is. They’re sisters, all of whom come from the same queen, the colony’s founder. Though all are female, the ants are differentiated by their physical traits and specialties. Each plays her role in the city’s functioning, whether it be caring for the queen and her larvae, assisting in the decomposition of waste, cleaning leaf cuttings, producing antibiotics, digging tunnels, defending the colony, or foraging for leaves. The leaves are carried, in pieces, back to the colony, where they are chewed into a paste that feeds a garden of fungus: the ants’ food source. When a new queen is grown, she will take some of this fungus on her own mating flight and use it to start her own city. The “city” metaphor is used to great effect, making the details of the ants’ jobs and society familiar and accessible to young readers. The ants in the lively illustrations are busy and focused. Backmatter provides more information about leafcutter ant societies and jobs. (Ages 4-8)