Pity the poor ant; it doesn’t seem to garner the same press as its fellow creepy-crawlies. Butterflies have been enshrined in the kid-lit pantheon since Eric Carle published The Very Hungry Caterpillar in 1969. Though many find spiders terrifying, they’ve gotten their due; consider Charlotte’s Web and, more recently, Jessica Lanan’s Sibert Honor–winning Jumper (Roaring Brook Press, 2023). And even the lowly earthworm is enjoying its place in the sun; last year, Polly Owens and Gwen Millward’s Darwin’s Super-Pooping Worm Spectacular (Wide Eyed Editions) and Marie Boyd’s Just a Worm (Greenwillow Books) both paid tribute to the invertebrate’s crucial place in the ecosystem.

Ants, on the other hand, haven’t had nearly as many opportunities to shine. In Aesop’s well-known tale, the ant is the dutiful, self-righteous foil to the lazy, fun-loving grasshopper. But ants are anything but dull. Recent studies have revealed that they’re the only creature other than humans to perform lifesaving amputations. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

Happily, I’m not alone in extolling the virtues of this hardworking, intrepid insect. As I look over the picture books published over the last 12 months, it’s clear to me that 2024 should be dubbed the Year of the Ant. With The Wonderful Wisdom of Ants (Crown, March 19), Philip Bunting waxes rhapsodic about ants—their strong social connections, their ability to communicate via pheromones, and their benefits to soil ecology. The author/illustrator blends whimsy, deadpan humor, and carefully chosen facts as he urges readers to take a lesson or two from ants: “Power nap. Always do your best for those around you. And…leave the Earth in better shape than it was when you got here.”

Farmers, haulers, and pharmacists—every member of this community has a job. Readers of Amy Hevron’s thoughtfully written and lushly illustrated City of Leafcutter Ants: A Sustainable Society of Millions (Neal Porter/Holiday House, June 25) will be amazed at the information on display. In many ways, ant communities seem more efficient than those of humans; some ants produce antibiotics from their own bodies, while others cultivate crops that nourish millions.

Science writer Rosemary Mosco’s There Are No Ants in This Book, illustrated by Anna Pirolli (Tundra Books, July 16), opens on a child setting out for a picnic. Unfortunately, the youngster’s hopes of an ant-free day are dashed as a series of insects—from the monstrously huge dinosaur ant to the tiny pharaoh ant—pop up with informative tidbits. Sure to please budding entomologists, this quirky tale makes clear that ants are so much more than picnic pests.

By turns thrilling and poignant, Jay Hosler’s middle-grade graphic novel Ant Story (HarperAlley, March 26) stars Rubi, a wisecracking yet lonely leafcutter ant—the only creature in her community who can talk—who embarks on an adventure. Along the way, Hosler seamlessly incorporates facts about leafcutter ant life: the good (their skill at growing their own food), the bad (the dangers they face as one of the lowest creatures on the food chain), and the downright disgusting (their habit of fertilizing their fungal gardens with their own feces).

Mahnaz Dar is a young readers’ editor.