worms – Mom Read It

Tales from the TBR: Picture Books about Animals

Posted on July 18, 2023July 17, 2023 by Rosemary Kiladitis

It’s another installation of Tales from the TBR, and this time, I’ve got some fun books about animals for your collections! Enjoy.

Holey Moley, by Bethan Clarke/Illustrated by Anders Frang, (Aug. 2023, Kane Miller), $15.99, ISBN: 9781684645497

Ages 4-8

This hilarious story is full of wordplay, rhymes, and laughs. Gus the Goat meets Mavis the Mole and proceeds to start guessing where Mavis lives, adding his own rhyming flair: “A mole in a hole. A moley in a holey. A holey moley!” Mavis weathers Gus’s insistence on coming up with rhyming places where Mavis lives, to the reader’s delight. The back-and-forth dialogue is fast-paced, with illustrations that bring Gus’s imagination to life in the silliest of ways. A supporting cast of animal characters provide an audience for Gus. Originally published earlier this year in Great Britain, Holey Moley is a good addition to stories that engage readers with creative wordplay.

Just a Worm, by Marie Boyd, (March 2023, Greenwillow Books), $17.99, ISBN: 9780063212565

Ages 4-8

After being called “just a worm” in the most squeamish of reactions, Worm sets off through a garden to discover ways to prove people wrong. Some garden denizens are friendly, some are a little standoffish, but every0ne in the garden – including worm – has something important to contribute. An engaging narrative about recognizing one’s worth, Just a Worm is also a STEM story about how spiders, dragonflies, ladybugs,, bees, caterpillars and butterflies, and worms are the best neighbors a garden can have. Paper-quilling art adds an extra dimension of texture; back matter includes instructions on making a quilled paper butterfly that is sure to delight readers. Earthworm facts and a glossary complete this story that will find a home on fiction and STEM shelves.

Fish and Crab, by Marianna Coppo, (March 2023, Chronicle Books), $17.99, ISBN: 9781797204437

Ages 4-8

Best friends Fish and Crab live together in an aquarium, where they share a bedroom. When it’s time to go to sleep, Fish has a lot of worries: what was that sound? What if aliens abduct them? What if it rains frogs? Crab brews a cup of herbal tea and hears Fish out, with some hilarious commentary. An adorable bedtime story with some chuckles in store, Coppo creates a sweet story about friendship and the importance of having a person you can turn to with all your worries and fears – no matter what time of day or night. The back-and-forth dialogue moves quickly, and the tempera and pastel illustrations move from bright colors to grey and black to denote nighttime conversations. Parents will get a kick out of this one, too; they’ll see themselves in this scenario. Endpapers add to the story, with black endpapers and a wide-open pair of eyes to denote who’s left awake in the beginning and end of the story. A storytime choice your readers will want to hear again and again.

The Fastest Tortoise in Town, by Howard Calvert/Illustrated by Karen Obuhanych, (Apr. 2023, Candlewick Press), $18.99, ISBN: 9781536228359

Ages 3-7

A charming story that acts as a prequel to a beloved fairy tale, The Fastest Tortoise in Town is the story of Barbara Hendricks, a “regular leopard tortoise” whose owner and best friend, a little girl named Lorraine, has entered her in a race. Barbara is nervous about her chances – she’s a tortoise, after all – but Lorraine encourages her and helps her build stamina by taking her for walks every day. When Barbara is frustrated at how slow she is compared to assorted toddlers, remote-controlled vehicles, and Lorraine’s grandfather, Lorraine is there to keep Barbara’s spirits high. Calvert spins an adorable story of friendship and perseverance, told in the first person from Barbara’s point of view, and touches on facing and overcoming fears. Obuhanych’s enjoyable, colorful mixed media illustrations show expressive animal and human characters; the panel-by-panel scenes from the actual race will have readers giggling as they enjoy the unlikely competitors. The story’s end leads into a well-known fairy tale; have some of the many versions available! A very cute addition to storytime collections.

Animal Fiction, Fiction, Fiction, Humor, Intermediate, Middle Grade

They Didn’t Teach THIS in Worm School!

Posted on December 18, 2017December 9, 2017 by Rosemary Kiladitis

They Didn’t Teach This in Worm School! One Worm’s Tale of Survival, by Simone Lia, (Feb. 2018, Candlewick Press), $14.99, ISBN: 978-0-7636-9536-1

Worms by Bernard Friot – yucky fun!

Posted on August 21, 2015July 26, 2015 by Rosemary Kiladitis

Worms, by Bernard Friot/Illus. by Aurélie Guillerey (Sept. 2015, Kids Can Press), $15.95, ISBN: 9781771385718

Recommended for ages 3-8

A little boy has to attend his father’s business dinner party, but no one said he couldn’t find a way to have fun! All it takes is a handful of worms and a few bowls of salad…

Worms is funny story on two levels: you’ve got the little boy attending his dad’s dinner party and having some fun with the guests, and you have the guests’ reactions as they try to stay professional while finding worms in their salad. They all want to make a good impression, so what do they do? Eat the worm? Toss it? Each guest has a different reaction – and so does each worm! – which will crack kids up. This makes for a great storytime read-aloud, where reading the story gives you the chance to make all sorts of funny and grossed out faces. Hand out some gummy worms, or even better, have a Dirt Pudding Cup edible craft afterwards! Warning to parents: watch your salads after eating this. Just saying.

Bernard Friot creates a light, fun story that Aurelie Guillerey’s retro art works so well with. This is a fun addition for your bookshelves.

Uncategorized

We Dig Worms Earth Day Contest!

Posted on April 22, 2015 by Rosemary Kiladitis

I loved TOON’s We Dig Worms, and the fact that the original illustrations were painted on recycled paper bags; when I saw this Earth Day contest run by TOON, I had to share. Good luck!

“We Dig Worms” Earth Day Giveaway

Did you know that Kevin McCloskey painted his illustrations for “We Dig Worms” on recycled paper bags? Send us a drawing of ANYTHING on a recycled paper bag (or other recycled product) and enter to win a SIGNED copy of We Dig Worms!

This is an all-ages competition! Deadline is Monday April 27th.

Just email photos to raw.junior@gmail.com or post to our Facebook page.

Step 1: Cut a Paper Bag Open

Step 2: Draw or doodle anything!

Early Reader, Graphic Novels, Non-Fiction

We Dig Worms is a great intro to science for young readers!

Posted on March 23, 2015March 22, 2015 by Rosemary Kiladitis

wedigworms We Dig Worms, by Kevin McCloskey (Apr 2015, TOON Books), $12.95, ISBN: 978-1-935179-80-1

Recommended for ages 4-8

Worms are so much more than those squiggly things you pull out of the dirt and put on a fish hook. Kevin McCloskey has put together a great little graphic novel that appeals to a range of young readers, illustrating just how worms help us. There’s so much to appeal to kids here – a cartoon side story involving a bird that wants to say hello to a worm and invite him to lunch (wink, wink, nudge, nudge), a Q&A about worms that gives us answers involving worm poo (it’s good for the soil!), and a detailed map of a worm’s interior and exterior.

The illustrations – originally painted on recycled grocery bags, which give a great look and feel to the book – are cartoony and kid-friendly, with simple facts and explanations. The map of the worm can be made even simpler for the youngest readers by just explaining that it is a map of the worm – that’s how I read it to my toddler, who loves this book and demands it be read to him every night.

This is a great entry into graphic nonfiction, and a book that belongs on library, school, and children’s bookshelves. I’m making sure this one gets into my libraries; I’ve had great luck with TOON Books this far and look forward to adding to my collection. Take a look at some of the artwork, from the TOON Books website, where you can also pre-order copies.

Preschool Reads

Book Review: Diary of a Worm, by Doreen Cronin/illus. by Harry Bliss (Joanna Cotler Books, 2003)

Posted on August 30, 2013 by Rosemary Kiladitis

Recommended for ages 2-6

A young worm journals his daily life, writing about his friends, his family, and the pluses and minuses of being a worm. His observations are often very funny, as when he talks about spending the day above ground with his family after a rainstorm, and then notes, “Hopscotch is a very dangerous game”, with illustrations from a worm’s point of view. The story includes facts about earthworm behavior that gives young audiences a fun lesson in science: earthworms dig tunnels that help the earth breathe; worms cannot walk upside down, and worms have no teeth being just a few fun factoids to take away.

The artwork adds to the appeal of the book. Mr. Bliss uses watercolor and ink illustrations to bring Worm, his family and friends to life; while not overly anthropomorphizing them, he does infuse them with personality. The worm’s-eye view of the world provides a different point of view that young audiences will appreciate, and could lead to a good post-storytime discussion of how things look different from a worm’s point view as opposed to a human’s. The text looks almost like a printed font, and the entries are dated, like a real diary would be. The endpapers are set up like a scrapbook or diary, with photos of Worm’s friends, family, and accomplishments – report cards, a web made for him by his friend, Spider, a comic strip – “taped” to the pages.

The “Ðiary Of” series includes Diary of a Fly; Diary of a Spider; and Diary of a Worm.

A Wiggling Worms/Garden read-aloud would be a fun idea for the Spring. Diary of a Worm may be a tricky read-aloud if done conventionally, as there is a lot of activity within each page. Bringing in puppets may be a fun way to accomplish a fun read-aloud, with assistants or another librarian acting out with puppets of worms, spiders, and flies, while the librarian narrates the journal entries. Amazon offers a Diary of a Worm & Friends Finger Puppet Playset that would connect the puppet show to the book even further. An after-story discussion about worms would involve children, inviting them to share what they have learned about worms after reading the book. A fun craft would let children make worms out of modeling clay, which they could take home. Scholastic has a Diary of a Worm DVD that may be fun viewing for younger audiences.

Diary of a Worm has received numerous awards and accolades since its publication, including designation as a School Library Journal Best Book for Children (2003).