Do you know some children who are interested in ants? We had a list of books for adults earlier this week, so now it is time for ant books for kids.
Nonfiction
Allen, J. and T. Humphries. (2002). Are you an ant? Backyard Books. New York: Kingfisher Publications.
The Are you a…? books are always wonderful because the author brings the child into the story by comparing the insects, in this case ants, to humans. You feel like you are in an ant colony.
Cole, J. and B. Degen (illus.) (1996). The magic school bus gets ants in its pants: A book about ants. New York: Scholastic, Inc.
This imaginative book is filled with facts about ants and very bad puns!
Dorros, A. (1988). Ant cities. Let’s Read and Find Out Science Books. New York: HarperCollins.
Probably one of the more informative books about ants for this age group.
Micucci, C. (2003). The life and times of the ant. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company.
An excellent introduction to ants, with cartoon illustrations.
Rodriguez, A. M. (2009). Secret of the plant-killing ants… and more. Berkley Heights, NJ: Enslow Publishers, Inc.
An encapsulation of current research by actual myrmecologists (ant scientists), including Nigel Franks and Deborah Gordon.
Fiction:
Climo, S. and F.X. Mora (illus.). (1995). The little red ant and the great big crumb: A Mexican fable. New York: Clarion Books.
In this lively tale, the ant finds out more about its world.
Hepworth, C. (1992). Antics: An alphabet of ants. New York: Paperstar/Putnam and Grosset group.
If you liked the puns in the Magic School House book, you’ll love these. Ant puns galore.
Hoose, P. and H. Hoose. (1998). Hey, little ant. Berkeley, CA: Tricycle Press.
Tale about a boy deciding whether or not to step on an ant. Gives the ant’s point of view.
Porte, B.A. and A. Cannon (illus.). (2000). Ma Jiang and the orange ants. New York: Orchard Books.
The orange ants in this story are named for the fact they are used to protect orange trees from pests. Ma Jiang and her family experience turbulent times in this historical account.
Van Allsbury, C. (1988). Two bad ants. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin.
Two ants have a wild adventure in a kitchen, told from the perspective of the small and confused ants. The illustrations are incredible.
For more information, the Kansas School Naturalist has an extensive list of books about ants for children.
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