Wiggling Worms at Work (Let's-Read-and-Find-Out Science 2) - Hardcover

Pfeffer, Wendy

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 006028448X ISBN 13: 9780060284480

Publisher: HarperCollins, 2003

Synopsis

Read and find out about worms and the important work they do in this colorfully illustrated nonfiction picture book.

Crawling through the dirt, worms are hard at work. Worms help the fruit and vegetables we eat by loosening the soil and feeding the plants. Read and find out about these wiggling wonders!

This clear and appealing science book for early elementary age kids, both at home and in the classroom, lets readers know about all the important ways worms work to help the environment—and people. It contains a find out more section with fun activities.

This is a Level 2 Let's-Read-and-Find-Out, which means the book explores more challenging concepts for children in the primary grades. The 100+ titles in this leading nonfiction series are:

• hands-on and visual
• acclaimed and trusted
• great for classrooms

Top 10 reasons to love LRFOs:

• Entertain and educate at the same time
• Have appealing, child-centered topics
• Developmentally appropriate for emerging readers
• Focused; answering questions instead of using survey approach
• Employ engaging picture book quality illustrations
• Use simple charts and graphics to improve visual literacy skills
• Feature hands-on activities to engage young scientists
• Meet national science education standards
• Written/illustrated by award-winning authors/illustrators & vetted by an expert in the field
• Over 130 titles in print, meeting a wide range of kids' scientific interests

Books in this series support the Common Core Learning Standards, Next Generation Science Standards, and the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) standards. Let's-Read-and-Find-Out is the winner of the American Association for the Advancement of Science/Subaru Science Books & Films Prize for Outstanding Science Series.

About this title

About the Authors

Wendy Pfeffer enjoyed early careers as a teacher and a nursery school director. She now devotes her time to writing and conducting workshops on creative writing for both adults and children. She is the author of the Let's-Read-and-Find-Out Science book Sounds All Around as well as The Gooney War and Popcorn Park Zoo. Ms. Pfeffer lives in Pennington, New Jersey.

Steve Jenkins wrote and illustrated many nonfiction picture books for young readers, including the Caldecott Honor Book What Do You Do with a Tail Like This? His books have been called stunning, eye-popping, inventive, gorgeous, masterful, extraordinary, playful, irresistible, compelling, engaging, accessible, glorious, and informative.

From the Back Cover

Deep underground and on the surface, worms are hard at work! Worms work like little plows, burrowing through soil by swallowing it. As they make their way through the dirt, worms loosen the soil so roots can spread and grow. Worms eat the bits of leaves and plants mixed with the dirt and leave behind castings that feed the plants. Find out how worms help us as they wiggle their way underground.

Reviews

Kindergarten-Grade 3--This is a great book marred by a few unclear pictures. The well-organized text explains how worms improve the quality of soil and covers the basics about the animal's body structure, movement, diet, and reproduction. The writing is clear and engaging; in one instance, Pfeffer compares the segments on a worm's body to "the coils on a Slinky toy." Although the collage artwork is visually appealing, some of the images are a bit confusing. In one illustration accompanying the explanation of how a worm tunnels, the creature looks as if it has been chopped in two or torn up. In another, it looks as if it is decomposing. The book ends with suggestions for examining a worm in the field and a science-fair-type project using castings. Better choices include Kevin Holmes's Earthworms (Bridgestone, 1998), Michael Elsohn Ross's Wormology (Carolrhoda, 1996), and Bobbie Kalman's Squirmy Wormy Composters (Crabtree, 1992; o.p.).--Jean Lowery, Bishop Woods Elementary School, New Haven, CT
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

K-Gr. 3. From the Let's-Read-and-Find-Out Science series, this book provides a good introduction to a familiar animal: the earthworm. Pfeffer discusses the worm's habits, anatomy, locomotion, food, and life cycles, as well as explaining the importance of castings and tunneling in maintaining soil richness, moisture, and aeration. The final two pages encourage children to explore earthworms on their own by closely observing a worm and a tunnel entrance and by planting seeds in ordinary soil and in soil enriched with worm castings. Though children may need to read or hear the text more than once to absorb all the information presented, the book offers a solid, interesting introduction to the subject. Jenkins' distinctive cut-paper collages illustrate the text with clarity and style. A good title for backyard scientists and a fine addition to primary-grade units on the subject. Carolyn Phelan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Edition details

• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Publication date: 2003
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 006028448X
• ISBN 13: 9780060284480
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: Jenkins Steve
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 40