Ants Work Together

Awaken young children to the different roles we play in our communities

In Ants Work Together, two young children prepare for a summertime community picnic in their city neighborhood. They notice that ants are all around us, taking on specialized roles to make sure the whole colony has what it needs.

As cousins Kamali and Josiah help the adults pick vegetables, prepare food, tend the community garden, and take care of little ones, they reflect on how our own diverse strengths parallel those of ants. We all work together to get the job done.

Ants Work Together:

This book is part of the Outside Our Window Board Books series, which encourages children--especially those in urban neighborhoods--to explore, protect, and delight in nature. Each book in the series focuses on one feature of the natural world (like ants), one season (summer), and one social or emotional learning skill (working together). The books emphasize community and encourage children and families to explore the natural world around them.

Working at the intersection of nature, literature, and culture, Mélina Mangal's writing highlights youth whose voices are rarely heard, and the people and places that inspire them to explore their world. Her books from Free Spirit include Jayden's Impossible Garden, Jayden's Secret Ingredient, and the Outside Our Window Board Books series. She is also the author of short stories and biographies for youth, including The Vast Wonder of the World: Biologist Ernest Everett Just. She won the Carter G. Woodson Book Award and was named an NCSS/CBC Notable Social Studies Trade Book for Young People. Mélina also works as a school library teacher in Minnesota and enjoys spending time outdoors with her family, whether it's in her backyard or hiking in the woods.

Stella Lim is a Korean illustrator based in Seoul. She studied fine art at the Seoul Women's University and illustration at Kingston University in London. She draws inspiration from her childhood in rural South Korea, and likes to bring something new to each project she works on.