Wonderful Worms

by Linda Glaser, Loretta Krupinski (Illustrator)

"A celebration and natural history of the helpful 'underground gardeners'."― Kirkus Reviews Wonderful Worms encourages an appreciation for the small creatures of the earth by explaining the vital role that earthworms play in the planet's ecosystem. The book also contains informative charts and cross-section illustrations of the worm's underground environment. Sure to be a favorite of curious children everywhere! A National Science Teachers Association / Children's Book Council Outstanding Science Trade Book for Students K-12

Genres: Nonfiction, Picture Books, Science, Childrens, Animals, Gardening, Nature

32 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1992

Reviews

[Alexis Caudill · Rating 5 out of 5]

1. Book summary, in your own words (3 pts)
Wonderful Worms is an informational book all about worms. It tells what worms eat, what worms do, and then how worms help humans with their gardens. It has pretty cute pictures and extra facts to read at the end of the book.
2. Grade level, interest level, lexile (1 pt)
This would be a cute book for Kindergarten through 2nd grade. It is very interesting and super easy to read.
3. Appropriate classroom use (subject area) (1 pt)
I could use this book for the students when and if we talk about insects in the classroom. I could also use this book for students to silent read in the class.
4. Individual students who might benefit from reading (1 pt)
Students interested in bugs and insects would like this book.
5. Small group use (literature circles) (1 pt)
I could use this book in small groups for students to practice reading fluency. I could also use this in literature circles with other books about bugs and have them to learn about that bug and then teach it to the class.
6. Whole class use (read aloud) (1 pt)
I could read this book to the class, but I would probably just have it on the shelf as a fun read.
7. Related books in genre/subject or content area (1 pt)
An Earthworm’s Life (Nature Upclose) by John Himmelman
Wiggling Worms at Work by Wendy Pfeffer
Yucky Worms: Read and Wonder by Vivian French
8. Multimedia connections (audio books, movie) available (1 pt)
There is an ebook for this book.

[Sha-Quita Jordan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is about worms and how they are underground gardners. Great book to read when teaching about different worms(science topics)or just to read. Appropriate grade level 1st-2nd grade.

[TCNS]

Filed under "Insects."

[Alexis Sillman · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has a more narrative approach on worms! It takes a child through the life of an earthworm while learning about them!

[Miss Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Take a closer look at worms. Cute nonfiction book for young readers

[Alexis Munk · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was also very good about giving information in a way that children would want to read. It is not long and drawn out and full of information. There are informational bits put in here and there along with story-like writing.

[Abbie Witt · Rating 5 out of 5]

1. Identifying the appropriate genre: Informational Text

2. Review/Summary: Award-winning author Linda Glaser looks at the life sciences like no one else. Kids will delight in and learn from these fantastic books focused on various creatures that share our world.

3. Rating: 5 Stars

4. Writing Trait: Wonderful Worms includes the following writing traits:
a. Ideas: The story has interesting details for young readers and these readers want to keep reading the story to learn more.
b. Organization: The story hooks the reader, has a purpose and a logical structure, consists of clear transitions/ideas and has an interesting conclusion.
c. Voice: The voice of this story is entertaining and age appropriate language is used throughout the text.
d. Word Choice: The story is full of energizing words; figurative language is used in this text.
e. Conventions: Words are spelled consistently, grammar and punctuation are used correctly. The story is clear, flows, makes sense and is easy to read. The print is large and there are many colorful pictures included throughout the text.

5. Usage for Classroom Instruction: This book could be read at an independent reading level for students in the middle elementary school grades (Possibly 3 or 4). Students could write a book report or do a project about worms if they are reading it independently. This book could also be read aloud to younger elementary school students. The life science book discusses worms and how they help the environment. There are some discussion questions at the end of the book that could be used to engage students and require higher order thinking skills to answer the questions. Additionally,
this could be integrated into a science lesson to teach young students about worms and how they impact the environment.

6. Interest Level: K-2

7. Reading Level: 390L

[Becky Martin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a book told from the point of view of a young child. He seems to have an interest in worms, and he begins to tell the audience in the book all about them. While the child presents facts to the readers, he also connects these facts to his personal life. For example, he notes the worms eat food like he does, but the worms eat dirt and leaves. This child like viewpoint on these creatures is a great way for young readers to connect to the material. The illustrations in the book show the view above ground and underground. While we can see the actions above ground such as feet walking by, we can also see the earthworms crawling around. It inspires the reader to imagine what is happening underneath his or her feet when he or she walks in the grass. The author does include a fact sheet to include more information about worms. This is a great informational book for young readers to encourage their learning of these slippery creatures.

[Yusra Faridi · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little boy who is fascinated by worms tells this story that is loaded with information and facts about worms. The book describes worms, what they eat, where they live, and how they move around. Because the book is told from a child's perspective it is really easy to understand. Children can also find ways to make connections with the book and the narrator. I can think of ways to create some engaging science lessons based on this books. For the older children it might even help to bring in actual worms and have the students make real life observations and investigations about the creatures. The teacher can also create a large anchor chart and record the things the students already knew about worms, what they learned from reading the book, and furthermore what they learned from their observations about actual worms.

[Lyndsey Hurm · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a great resource to have while teaching a science lesson. In my class, my teacher first had us talk about what we already know about worms and she wrote it on the board. Next we actually observed and "played" with live worms. After we observed we talked about everything that we learned and everything that we still wanted to learn. Next she read this book out loud and in the back of the book were a lot of facts about worms so most of our questions that we still had about worms were answered. This is a great informational book for children.

[Rebecca Martin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a good book to read aloud for a science lesson about worms. The teacher can begin the lesson by having the students do a KWL. They will start by writing down what they know about worms. Then the teacher will give each table a worm on a plate and tell the students that they can touch the worm but not harm it. While the students explore the worm they will write down questions that they want to know about them. Once the teacher writes down their questions on the white board she can read Wonderful Worms which should have answers to a lot of their questions.

[Elizabeth Mcdonough · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a great resource to use while teaching a science lesson.The book gives a lot of facts about worms. This is a great informational book for children. I could use this book to have children write a story about worms. The story is told from a young boy's point-of-view. The students can go outside and try to find worm and then write about what they saw. They could also compare their own experience with the narrator's experience.

[Brooke · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a cute book with warm illustrations. The best part, however, is the question and answer section "Facts about Wonderful Worms" at the back of the book. The questions and answers are interesting and detailed. This book made for a nice connection with our science unit on asexual and sexual reproduction. We're also using it as a family fun book in our classroom.

[Kimberlydaniels · Rating 3 out of 5]

Genre: Information Copyright 1992

We follow a litte boys footsteps as he wanders through the grass following and observing worms as he goes. He gives a lot of information about them, how they eat, how they breathe, how they move. We do a bug unit in the spring and again, I love the way the boy tells the story, in a very informative way :)

[Genola Washington · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a wonderful book for all school communities. The illustrations are wonderful. It makes a great connection between gardening, the earth soil and worms. The language is easy to understand. with familiar settings and great opportunities for children to ask question and seek an understanding.

[Jelisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book all about worms. I think that this book would be great to implement in a science lesson about how students can explore topics using live materials. We could read this book and teacher could bring in real worms so that students can be like scientists and explore the worms. This promotes authentic learning.

[Jenna]

This is a good story about worms and their needs for survival. This is a good book for teaching a literature based lesson science lesson .It teaches abotu inscests in a fun way kid friendly way good for insect and resource studies. This story tells us what they eat and how they survive in life.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Simple and factual, nice for younger readers.

[jacky · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was featured on Between the Lions.

[Rachel]

Great book! Can use to have students describe and list the wonderful qualities of a worm. Let sutdents have a gummy worm to help remember the story and draw a picture.

[Cynthia Sherman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful book. Kindergartners and even first graders enjoy this book. This book is informative and the pictures make this book interesting to read.

[Denesha Allen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This informative book could be used to introduce worms. In class, this book could be used as an intro to worms right before experimenting with them in the science area of the class.

[Meredith · Rating 4 out of 5]

A neat story about worms, told in words and pictures that highlight how cool worms are (instead the "eeeew" reaction). Plus at the end there are FAQs about worms for the curious.

[Paula Hollohan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great factual description of what worms do and how they help in the garden. Good fact section in the back for FAQs. K-2

[Danette]

Read with Naomi.

[Alexis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great for younger kids!

[Carissa Worm · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a great way to talk about worms, and how they are great for our earth and soil!