Wiggling Worms at Work (Let's-read-and-find-out science) (Hardback) - Common

Let's-Read-and-Find-Out Science, Stage 2

by Wendy Pfeffer

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

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

33 pages, Hardcover

First published December 23, 2003

About the author

Wendy Pfeffer is an award winning author of many children’s books. A former teacher and nursery school director, Mrs. Pfeffer lives in Pennington, New Jersey. In addition to writing, she continues to teach writing and visit schools to share her work.

Reviews

[The Cook book nook · Rating 5 out of 5]

"I remember how they use their poo to close the door so birds don't get them. I like how the babies only grow for six weeks until they are adults." Eldon

"They eat dried up moss that's like hair. They are good for the soil and they help plants grow." Peter

[CanadianReader · Rating 4 out of 5]

An informative nonfiction picture book with excellent writing, this would make a great model for nonfiction writing. I was disappointed with the illustrations. Though large and colorful, they often don't show features discussed in the text. For example, I would've liked to see the worm's crop and gizzard. Likewise, worms' cocoons and eggs were not depicted in Jenkins's art. Aside from this, though, I found Pfeffer's work terrific.

[Monique · Rating 3 out of 5]

Getting my Concept and Informational required reading out the way and yup learned a lot about worms through this book that goes through about 33 pages of little known creatures I only think about after it rains and they show up on sidewalks…This book taught me that in a garden and in the ground worms are magical—nature’s little plows helping to loosen soil and create life either by: burrowing and making tunnels under the ground; crawling above ground pulling dead leaves and plants down with them or even excreting waste that acts as a fertilizer..I have never thought about worm excrement but if I hadn’t read this book I would not have known that a pile of it blocking a tunnel entrance is called a midden and they form them to keep out bad weather and rain. So many little interesting tidbits in here like I had no idea that worms have no eyes, ears or noses and very little brains. They wiggle and twist their way in moist soil all their lives and help the environment under the soil..Cute and informative read though I must admit the drawings were alittle too vivid and real and made me a little creepy crawly, especially during the mating/childbirth pages, ugh like you feel them worming around the page almost..But very concise and easy to read and understand information..

[Em · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely illustrations although I would have liked to have seen the illustrations more in line with the text for example the gizzard. I couldn't tell you where it was only that it has one.... The book is packed with information on the humble worm. Even mummy learned some new facts about worms from this book. Thoroughly enjoyed by my little girls. The right length and information to keep little ones attention.

[Steve Holden · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one is the perfect combination for my grade level. It provides a lot of information on the earthworm, and serves as a great review to culminate the unit. It has engaging pictures and provides students with a positive experience on a subject that can be difficult to find appropriate reading level material for the younger kids.

[Sherry Dorman · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an interesting book...who says children's literature isn't good for adults...l knew worms were good for the soil but l learned more about just how they are ... great book for introducing students to the idea of composting and sustainable practices ... love the illustrations and l can't wait to get out in the garden to great my worms!

[Melissa Namba · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm not going to lie. I really enjoyed this book and learned a lot. I had no idea how worms made baby worms. Or that they had bristles under their segments which catch and help them move. A great book for a young kid. Would be a fun science lesson since worms reach adulthood in 6 weeks.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a bit more complex that We Dig Worms! and even Wiggly Earthworms. The illustrations are made from cut paper. There is information about their mating and egg laying process.

[SaraKat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely collage art and information about how worms live and how they help the environment by simply live their lives.

[Carrie Jacobs · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lived learning all about worms and why they are good for our soil.

[Nolan Brendel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked it because it showed about how worms live.

[Ian McHugh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Who knew worms could be so interesting? Not too many of them in the desert but I’m sure this will pique interest when back in the UK when we can go on a worm hunt.

[Tia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Non fiction picture book. Good illustrations. Good usage of vocabulary. Complex in areas.

[Christine Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute kids book for my kiddos!

[Courtney Lloyd · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wiggling Worms at Work, by Wendy Pfeffer, is an easy read book for young children to learn about worms. This book is very educational and provides many facts that could be understood by anyone and at any age. This book also has great illustrations. They are colorful and interesting for children to look at. The book is easy to read and defines any words that need to be elaborated on.
In the end of the book, there are "experiment" / activities that a classroom could do. The teacher could elaborate and go over the book with the class. For speech therapy, this book would be great to work on any "w" sounds in the initial position of words.

[Lynn Davidson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Worms are amazing little workers. They help plants grow and loosen the soil as they tunnel through it and eat dead leaves. This book, in easy-to-understand prose, describes the worm as nature’s plow and tells about the very important role it has in nature. Wonderfully illustrated.

[Jaclyn Giordano · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wiggling Worms at Work by Wendy Pfeffer is a picture book intended for readers in kindergarten through grade three. I gave it four stars. “There are thousands of wiggling worms at work.” This book gives readers factual information about all different aspects of the worm, from digestion to reproduction to what worms eat and how worms bodies are put together. The text also gives the reader information regarding how worms help the environment, loosening and giving nutrients to soil, and bringing water to plant roots. The text and illustration, which are simply drawn and give both close-ups and far shots of worms in their natural environment, make the worm a more lovable, almost humanistic and delicate creature of the Earth. Extension and enriching activities included at the end of the text lay out experiments and adventures with worms that readers can undertake to learn more about the fascinating creatures. The reader connects to these helpful worms, as they are showcased factually and simply with a positive message. Small, almost insignificant and forgotten creatures are so helpful and do such big jobs, an idea that young readers can surely connect with!

[Zoila Avila · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book really explains how earthworms work. It thouroughly explains how they help the soil produce better flowers, vegetables, and trees. It also explains how the worms reproduce. Each worm is both male and female but it still needs a mate. It talks about their environment and what they eat. I found out that worms don't have eyes, a nose, and no ears and it hardly has a brain. This was a very informative book on worms.

[Giselle Avina · Rating 3 out of 5]

I actually ended up learning a lot about worms from this kid's book, and I'm 18 years old. At the same time, it really grossed me out at some parts, particularly when it talked about how worms reproduce. Yuck! It was very educational though, and the fact that it had little experiment and activity ideas involving worms at the end was a cool way to teach kids about worms, assuming any child reading this book likes worms.

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Title: Wiggling Worms at Work

Author: Wendy Pfeffer

Recommended Ages or grades: P-8

This book is about worms and how important they are to the soil and plants. Worms work like plows, burrowing through the soil, loosing it up so that the roots can spread and grow. I liked this book. It was easy to read and understand. It would make a great lesson to use in a classroom when teaching out earthworms. The pictures were great too, nice, big, colorful.

[Lindsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wiggling Worms at Work is a book that describes almost everything about worms. I read this to my kindergarten class. Most of the students were engaged majority of the time. Their favorite part included the discussion of worms and their poop helping plants grow. Wendy Pfeffer helps students think about the small creatures in a big way.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

This nonfiction book presents every fact imaginable about worms. Readers will come away with a new appreciation for the earthworm. Terrific illustrations by illustrator Steve Jenkins make worms accessible and minimize the "eew gross" factor. A note for those who are presenting this to young readers - reproduction of the earthworm is covered. Experiments are included in the back.

[Samantha · Rating 3 out of 5]

A look inside a worm's world that shows just how invaluable they are to our environment. Papercut illustrations are full of detail and offer great perspectives both above and below ground.

A two page spread of extension activities are included that encourage readers to explore worms and their world up close. PreK-2.

[Kayla · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is very informational. You could use it in the classroom and make a worm farm to show how worms live and the book tells all about it. I have always known about worms helping with the garden but I never knew that they laid eggs, or burrowed into deep ground for the winter. I found some worms and put them in my garden and it seems to help.

[Hannah Morrison]

Another worm book! I did not think this is as much fun as Diary of A Worm but it is in no way boring. Children love to dig for worms and bugs and will enjoy a good worm book regardless. Great detail and awesome science/literacy integration.

[Janet Chen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book to have in your science collection. It is really informational and of course the students are always fascinated by worms, so this is a way that they can see what worms do and learn more about them, I might even pair this up with other well known books about worms and compare the writing.

[Caitlin Barclay]

This book is a great resource for teaching students about worms and their lifestyle! This book goes through the entire process of how worms are good for the soil and all of the other benefits they provide. I would read this book as well as Diary of a Worm to my students as we learn about worms.

[Alexis Munk · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked how this book gives you information in a playful way. It gives the information in a way that would make it fun and interesting for children. I am not a fan of worms so I was not very interested in this book.

[Jayna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an informative book on worms. Great for science with very nice illustrations.

[Kia M. · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a great book to use when teaching your class about informational texts. This book is geared towards science but can also be used in a writing lesson. It discusses worms, soil, and plants.