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

Pfeffer, Wendy

ISBN 10: 0060284498 ISBN 13: 9780060284497

Publisher: HarperCollins, 2003

Synopsis

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.

About this title

About the Author

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 has illustrated many children’s books, including What Do You Do with a Tail Like This?, a Caldecott Honor Book, and The Top of the World: Climbing Mount Everest, winner of the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award. He has also illustrated Wiggling Worms at Work, Life in a Coral Reef, and Almost Gone in the Let’s-Read-and-Find-Out Science series. He lives in Boulder, Colorado.

From School Library Journal

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
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Edition details

• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Publication date: 2003
• ISBN 10: 0060284498
• ISBN 13: 9780060284497
• Binding: Library Binding
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 40
• Illustrator: Jenkins Steve