Worms Are Our Friends

January 1, 2025
Preschool-Grade 1 Books centered on worms often feature a lot of dirt and dark tunnels, so this vibrant contribution is a breath of fresh air. Full-page illustrations, bursting with life and color, show the smiling worms as part of a thriving ecosystem. Using very simple, upbeat language, rhyming couplets describe the basics of a worm's role as a decomposer, soil aerator, and food source for birds. There's simply no room to be grossed out when reading about a perky little wriggler who "likes our leftovers and thinks they're a treat!" The only content-specific vocabulary is castings (immediately defined as "that's poo, did you know?"), making the information readily accessible to the very youngest audiences. Back matter only lightly elaborates on the basic facts laid out in the main text, so readers seeking an in-depth exploration of worms will need to look elsewhere. Though some illustrations misleadingly suggest worms are normally aboveground during the day, that's a small quibble for this playful introduction to an important and often-overlooked contributor to biomes all over the planet.

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