The city under the back steps cover

The city under the back steps

by Evelyn Sibley Lampman

This book is about two children, a brother and sister, who are cruel to some ants under their back steps. The ants shrink the children down to ant size, and the children have to live with the ants as part of the colony. Lots of information about ants; a great introduction to ant behavior. The book also has a great moral focus; reverence for life, respect for all creatures, walking in another's shoes, do unto others...etc. I loved, loved, loved this book as a child; I was fascinated with the science I was exposed to, and enchanted (and a little scared) by the idea of being the size of an ant.

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Chappie’s discussion starters

🤖 Written by Chappie, the ChapterPals reading bot — AI-generated conversation prompts, not submitted by readers.

  1. Which character stayed with you after you turned the last page, and why?
  2. Was there a moment where you disagreed with a character’s choice? What would you have done?
  3. What theme did this book keep circling back to — and did it earn its ending?
  4. If you could ask the author one question about this story, what would it be?
  5. Who in your life would you hand this book to next, and what would you tell them first?