Diary of a Worm: The Hilarious Adventures of a Young Worm Navigating Life, School, and Friendship

Diary of a...

by Doreen Cronin, Harry Bliss (Illustrator)

This is the diary . . . of a worm. Surprisingly, a worm not that different from you or me: He lives with his parents, plays with his friends, and even goes to school. But unlike you or me, he never has to take a bath, he gets to eat his homework, and because he doesn't have legs, he just can't do the hokey pokey -- no matter how hard he tries. Oh, and his head looks a lot like his rear end.

Doreen Cronin, the New York Times best-selling author of Click, Clack, Moo and Giggle, Giggle, Quack, teams up with illustrator Harry Bliss for this hysterical journal about the daily doings and the hidden world of a lovable underground dweller.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Fiction, Humor, Animals, Fantasy, Nature

40 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2003

About the author

Doreen Cronin (born 1966) is an American writer of children's books, including Click Clack Moo: Cows That Type, a very well-received picture book illustrated by Betsy Lewin.

Reviews

[Mariah Roze · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very cute story that is told from a worm's perspective. It goes through the year and explains what worms are doing during that time, but also having them do stuff humans would do; like school.

[Archit · Rating 4 out of 5]

No matter what or whom, diaries are always interesting and thrilling to read.

This time, I came to read a worm's diary. It was informative to acknowledge that worms are not boring, reckless and free animals. In fact, they are very very busy.

Like humans, they have to go to school and get good grades. How do you suppose they would be able to tell us their journey in a diary otherwise?

It was funny and adorable.

[Dani ❤️ Perspective of a Writer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Check out more picture book reviews @ Perspective of a Writer...

In this diary of a young worm boy he explains he he's not that different from you or me: He lives with his parents, plays with his friends, and even goes to school.

I'm not really a fan of the art style but it fit the comic book like diary entries. And my nephew was quite enchanted, particularly when spider saves worm after convincing him to walk upside down! He loved all the facts particularly the ones having to do with numbers! It was quite a fun book for him!! It had a ton of words but we flew through the book nevertheless!

The facts about worms were quite cool! The message is a little more fluid in this book compared the the fly book... I'm not surprised as this is the first book and not the third... Still I think this book is quite re-readable especially for a child interested in insects!!

BOTTOM LINE: Perfect for worm loving children!!

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You can find this review and many others on my book blog @ Perspective of a Writer. See my picture book reviews in a special feature called Boo's Picture Gallery...

[Tatiana · Rating 4 out of 5]

With the new school year on the horizon, I'm going through my boxes of children's books in storage and found Diary of a Worm. Who knew the inner thoughts of a burrowing invertebrate animal could be so relatable to kids? Your teacher gets on you for losing eating your homework. Your mom gets on you for making fun of your sister. But at the end of the day, it's all about making your own mark on the ecosystem.

Good for as a mentor text for writing or for a unit on worms/insects.

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

Worm is all about having fun, respecting the earth, and never taking baths. He lives with his parents, plays with his friends, and even goes to school. But unlike you or me, he never has to take a bath, he gets to eat his homework, and because he doesn't have legs, he just can't do the hokey pokey—no matter how hard he tries.
I'm not regressing to 5 years old, no matter who tells you differently. I'm previewing my 4-year-old granddaughter's Christmas presents and will probably be buying her more unless her dads stop me. I just recently found these cute little books about some of nature's least understood, admired or liked creatures. There is a spider one, but since I have this "thing" about spiders, I will skip that one!

A young worm shares with us one unfortunate adventure after another. He tries to teach his arachnid friend how to dig a tunnel...he figures eight legs digging should get the job done fairly fast. He also learns several other useful things, like the dangers of hanging out on a sidewalk during a game of hopscotch. He has a nightmare because he had eaten too much garbage before bedtime. He made a one-piece macaroni necklace in art class; he reasoned that one piece was ll he needed since he didn't evenhave a neck. My favorite one. I really loved this one...he gets reprimanded for telling his sister that “no matter how much time she spends looking in the mirror, her face will always look just like her rear end,” and there is so more.

Our little worm buddy comes with the cutest little face and a red cap. He also has a scrapbook/photo album with picture with the caption, “My favorite pile of dirt,” one from his teacher titled “My report card” with the caption “Needs to resist eating his homework”). Readers will come away with the insight that worms may not be so good at walking upside down or doing the "Hokey Pokey", but they do play an important role in taking care of our Earth. Better than some folks that live on the planet. Worms may not have legs, arms or necks, but they really aren't so different from us, after all.

My husband says "put the books away or you're going wear them out before she even sees them". But they are so cute!!! I might be able to read another one if I disguise it carefully.

[L-Crystal Wlodek · Rating 4 out of 5]

Diary of a Worm is a book for children in preschool through first grade. It is a humorous story in diary form of the everyday life of a worm. The worm’s humanistic qualities are shown as he chronicles the family’s vacation to Compost Island, his first day of school, his report card, information about his family, and his first tunnel, among others. In his diary, the worm also describes information that his mom tells him always to remember, why it is good to be a worm, why it is bad to be a worm, as well as times that he taught a spider how to dig, forgot his lunch, scared humans, got in a fight, and went to the school dance. Dairy of a Worm is a funny book that will teach children facts about worms in a very fun, unique, and enjoyable format.

The book format, illustrations, captions, and humanistic qualities of the worm are what make this book fun to read, unique, and different from any other animal or insect fact book. It is also fun because children get to see firsthand what it is like to be a worm when reading the worm’s diary from his perspective. This book can be used when teaching different perspectives or formats to use when writing. It could also be used to compare and contrast/categorize real and make believe facts of worms, when learning about worms in science, or as a read-aloud book during earth day. The illustrations are colorful and contain humor that younger students will appreciate and enjoy. Overall, this science-fantasy book contains information and humor in a unique format, all of which young children will love!

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tunnel into the hilarious world of a young worm through a series of laugh-out-loud diary entries chronicling his life. Join worm as he goes to school, tries to play the hockey pokey (think about that for a second), and harasses his sister ("no matter how long you look at your face, it will always look like your rear"). Ecological message makes this an easy-pick for Earth Day story times.

CIP:
A young worm discovers, day by day, that there are some very good and some not so good things about being a worm in this great big world.


"A young worm discovers, day by day, that there are some very good and some not so good things about being a worm in this great big world."School Library Journal

"Bliss's whimsical cartoonish illustrations depict events from a worm's-eye view..." The Horn Book

***See also Diary of a Fly and Diary of a Spider for other read-alikes.

[Ana LibrariAna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book! Funny, to the point, and educational. Scholastic's "movie" adaptation is phenomenal. Pair it with a non-fiction book, such as "It's a Good Thing There Are Earthworms", and have a lesson on Fiction /Non-Fiction, text features, or "just" an intro to an inquiry unit about worms, garden, spring, etc......

[Abigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

Doreen Cronin, creator of such picture-book hits as Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type and Giggle, Giggle, Quack , turns here to the day-to-day life of a worm, chronicling his many earth-bound adventures in this amusing and educational diary. Opening in March, with the three things that Worm's mother wants him to always remember - that the earth provides everything worms need, that worms care for the earth by digging tunnels, that little worms should never bother Daddy when he's eating the newspaper - the story follows its lumbricine hero through half of the year, concluding in August with a reminder that while people may forget worms, the earth is always aware of them...

By turns humorous and informative, Diary of a Worm offers an entertaining tale of a little earthworm, with plenty of funny details - Worm trying to walk upside down like his friend Spider, Worm eating his homework one day - that contribute to the feeling of fun, as well as an overarching narrative, beginning and ending with the earth, that serves to subtly reinforce the important role of earthworms in the ecology. The artwork by Harry Bliss is colorful and likewise humorous, with plenty of entertaining details - mother worm's note to her son, instructing him to eat all of his trash; Worm's "passing" grade in composting, seen on his report-card on the decorative end-papers - that will have readers/perusers who notice them chuckling. Recommended to anyone looking for children's stories that will amuse and educate the younger picture-book audience.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh, the laughter. The boys love worms. They especially love worms that write funny books. I enjoyed reading this because it was witty and surprisingly funny. The illustrations are fantastic. They've looked through the book many times since.

One caution - there is a part where the worm tells his sister her face looks like her rear end, with accompanying dead-on illustration. Being the crass person that I am, I almost lost it, but my 5-year-old said in his most indignant voice, "that's a really mean thing to say, that someone looks like a butt." So I had to be all serious and talk about how unkind that is to say. One of the 8-yr-olds was studying the picture and said, "yeah, but her face does look like her bottom" so they all crowded around and discussed the moral rights and wrongs saying mean but true things. Their conclusion was that yes, her face does look like her read end, but it's not polite to say it out loud. I just love having kids.

[Ashley McCubbins · Rating 3 out of 5]

I learned that some authers are really good writers.

[Kitt · Rating 5 out of 5]

An old time favorite of mine from when I was young. Ahh memories!

[Mira Bhasin · Rating 5 out of 5]

goated. an actual work of art. so glad to end 2023 on this note. couldn’t recommend more.

[Nancy Kotkin · Rating 5 out of 5]

A series of journal entries from a young male worm. Instructive about worm anatomy and behavior, but also entertaining and humorous. Fly (from Diary of a Fly) and Spider (from Diary of a Spider) make appearances in this book as Worm's friends. Illuminating example of strong voice from a non-human narrator. Great for classroom or group use to mentor journaling activities. Can be paired with Diary of a Wombat.

[Hayden · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is about a worm who writes about his daily adventures as a worm. He tells of some of his favorite things to do such as dig tunnels, play with his friend Spider, sneak up on kids on the playground and tease his older sister. He also attends school where he gets in trouble for eating his homework, attends a school dance and makes a macaroni necklace which he takes home to be his family's dinner that night. He also has nightmares of being attacked by a bird, dreams of being a secret service agent and practices his manners by greeting an ant, before realizing that there are 600 ants that he now must greet as well. He decides however that the perks outweigh the costs and is glad to be a worm.

I thought this book was cute. I liked how it demonstrates the basic form of diary entries and could help get students interested in writing. I think the perspective of what a worm might do in a day would be interesting to children and seeing little correlations between things they enjoy, such as hanging out with friends and doing art projects, and things that the worm enjoys would be fun for them. I also like how the illustrations are simple and engaging and how the style of the illustrations fit the theme of a day in the life of a worm in that they aren't super clean and clear cut.

I would use this book in the classroom as an example of how to write from different perspectives. I think the dramatic nature of writing from such an unrealistic point of view would help students grasp the concept of writing from a perspective that they are unfamiliar with, which could then lead us to discussing how to write from more realistic perspectives that they yet are still as unfamiliar with.

[Kaylee' Phillips · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best piece of literature I have ever read. Cronin artfully describes the struggles and triumphs of a young worm searching for his place in the world. I was incredibly moved by Worm's inner monologue and devotion to dirt, and his crippling fear of hopscotch. Would read again.

[Bailie]

A book about a worm, what’s not to love?

[Brenda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute book with lots of humor on the life perspective of a worm while teaching us facts about worms.

[Amanda Belcher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Delightful.

[Emma Virginia · Rating 5 out of 5]

only book I’ve ever stolen from a library

[Jo ☾ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hilarious and adorable! Diary entries by a little boy worm with appearances by his family (I love Grandpa worm!) and his friend the spider. Super funny. I would have loved this as a child since I was always digging in the dirt and playing with worms.

Love the subtle eco-friendly message conveyed that shows how worms are important to the earth and that even the smallest creatures have a role in helping and protecting the planet. :)

We're very small, and sometimes people forget that we're even here. But, like mom always says, the earth never forgets we're here. <3

[Cathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the diary . . . of a worm. Surprisingly, a worm is not that different from you or me: He lives with his parents, plays with his friends, and even goes to school. But unlike you or me, he never has to take a bath, he gets to eat his homework, and because he doesn't have legs, he just can't do the hokey pokey -- no matter how hard he tries. Oh, and his head looks a lot like his rear end.

Cute, Clever book. I am not sure how it will play out as a read aloud, but know the kids will love to look at it and see all the details that make it as special as it is.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Diary of a Worm is a fun, accessible read for students. I loved the diary format and the creativity and humor in every entry. This would be a great text to engage students before a lesson on insects, especially because it invites the reader to relate to the insects (often detested creatures). The vivid illustrations and comedic style gave me the feeling of reading a comic book. I think this book will be a quick and engaging read for many kinds of young readers.

[Kristen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is such a cute little children's book. We laugh and laugh every time we read it. Our family's favorite part is when he writes about his sister. No matter how long she looks in the mirror her face will always look the same as her rear end. Worm's friend spider thought it was pretty funny, his mother, however did not.

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is hysterical. Seriously I laughed so hard. Maybe it was the fact that my 7 year old loved it too and we were laughing together. Seriously the hokey pokey, macaroni necklaces and telling his sister her rear end looks just like her face...so funny!

[Asia]

It is gooooood

[Shay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ok seriously I really liked this book. It was such an original idea. The way that things were explained from a worm's POV was genius!

[Danny · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked his mother

[Kaitlyn Street · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this book was so cute! It's written in actual "diary" entries. It goes through the daily life of a worm. It includes him playing with his friends, annoying his sister, going to school, and eating dinner with his family. The illustrations are great, very old timey, comic book-esque. It was funny, engaging, and had a good story line featuring many aspects of daily life that children would relate to.
I actually used this book to teach a lesson on fiction and nonfiction. After discussing fiction and nonfiction we read the story and I told the students to be paying attention to parts of the book that were fiction and non fiction. After the book they drew two nonfiction scenes and two fiction scenes from the book. For example, a nonfiction scene would be the worms digging tunnels to help the earth. A fiction scene would be the worm having homework.
There are more ways to incorporate this fun children's book into lessons. Whether it's when teaching a science lesson on worms or testing their reading comprehension! I give it a 5/5 for functionality and engagement!

[Reese Richter · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book to my neighbor and he liked it and it was about a worm that takes you through his point of view and has to avoid being stepped on and all of the dangerous humans. He also has to go to school and live a normal life of people but as a worm. He also eats homework because worms eat things to make dirt. The theme is that your life could be worse and there are many different points of view in the world.