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There's a Hair in My Dirt!: A Worm's Story
Once upon a time in a place far away, lived a man named Gary Larson who used to draw cartoons. It was a cartoon that appeared for many years in daily newspapers and was loved by millions. (And was confusing to millions more.) But one day he stopped.
Gary went into hiding. He made a couple short films. He played his guitar. He threw sticks for his dogs. They threw some back.
Yet Gary was restless. He couldn't sleep nights. Something haunted him. (Besides Gramps.) Something that would return him to his roots in biology, drawing and dementia--a tale called There's a Hair in My Dirt! A Worm's Story.
It begins a few inches underground, when a young worm, during a typical family dinner, discovers there's a hair in his plate of dirt. He becomes rather upset, not just about his tainted meal but about his entire miserable, wormy life. This, in turn, spurs his father to tell him a story--a story to inspire the children of invertebrates everywhere.
And so Father Worm describes the saga of a fair young maiden and her adventuresome stroll through her favorite forest, a perambulator's paradise. It is a journey filled with mystery and magic. Or so she thinks.
Written and illustrated in a children's storybook style, There's a Hair in My Dirt! A Worm's Story is a twisted take on the difference between our idealized view of Nature and the sometimes cold, hard reality of life for the birds and the bees and the worms (not to mention our own species).
Told with his trademark off-kilter humor, this first original non--Far Side book is the unique work of a comic master.
Now Larson can finally sleep at night.
Question is, will you?
(from the back cover)
Gary went into hiding. He made a couple short films. He played his guitar. He threw sticks for his dogs. They threw some back.
Yet Gary was restless. He couldn't sleep nights. Something haunted him. (Besides Gramps.) Something that would return him to his roots in biology, drawing and dementia--a tale called There's a Hair in My Dirt! A Worm's Story.
It begins a few inches underground, when a young worm, during a typical family dinner, discovers there's a hair in his plate of dirt. He becomes rather upset, not just about his tainted meal but about his entire miserable, wormy life. This, in turn, spurs his father to tell him a story--a story to inspire the children of invertebrates everywhere.
And so Father Worm describes the saga of a fair young maiden and her adventuresome stroll through her favorite forest, a perambulator's paradise. It is a journey filled with mystery and magic. Or so she thinks.
Which is all we'll say for now.Well, you'll have to read to find out, but let's just say the answers are right under your feet.
What exactly does the maiden encounter?
Does Son Worm learn a lesson?
More important, does he eat his plate of fresh dirt?
Written and illustrated in a children's storybook style, There's a Hair in My Dirt! A Worm's Story is a twisted take on the difference between our idealized view of Nature and the sometimes cold, hard reality of life for the birds and the bees and the worms (not to mention our own species).
Told with his trademark off-kilter humor, this first original non--Far Side book is the unique work of a comic master.
Now Larson can finally sleep at night.
Question is, will you?
(from the back cover)
64 pages, Paperback
First published September 10, 1998
About the author
Gary Larson
133 books715 followersGary Larson was born and raised in Tacoma, Washington. His parents were Vern, a car salesman, and Doris, a secretary. He attended Curtis High School before attending Washington State University and graduated in 1972 with a degree in communications. In 1987, Larson married Toni Carmichael, an archaeologist.
Larson credits his older brother Dan for his "paranoid" sense of humor. Dan would pull countless pranks on Gary, taking advantage of his phobia of monsters under the bed by, for example, waiting in the closet for the right moment to pounce out at Gary. Dan is also credited with giving Gary his love of science. They caught animals in Puget Sound and placed them in terrariums in the basement; even making a small desert ecosystem, which their parents apparently did not mind. His adept use of snakes in his cartoons stems from his long-standing interest in herpetology.
Since retiring from the Far Side, Larson has occasionally done some cartooning work, such as magazine illustrations and promotional artwork for Far Side merchandise.
In 1998, Larson published his first post-Far Side book, There's a Hair in My Dirt!: A Worm's Story, an illustrated story with the unmistakable Far Side mindset.
Larson credits his older brother Dan for his "paranoid" sense of humor. Dan would pull countless pranks on Gary, taking advantage of his phobia of monsters under the bed by, for example, waiting in the closet for the right moment to pounce out at Gary. Dan is also credited with giving Gary his love of science. They caught animals in Puget Sound and placed them in terrariums in the basement; even making a small desert ecosystem, which their parents apparently did not mind. His adept use of snakes in his cartoons stems from his long-standing interest in herpetology.
Since retiring from the Far Side, Larson has occasionally done some cartooning work, such as magazine illustrations and promotional artwork for Far Side merchandise.
In 1998, Larson published his first post-Far Side book, There's a Hair in My Dirt!: A Worm's Story, an illustrated story with the unmistakable Far Side mindset.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 271 reviews
July 8, 2015
You know how it is when your dad tells a story. . .
It always ends the same way.
Somebody does something, and then they DIE!
Here, one unhappy worm gets the lecture of his life from his father when the youngster dares to complain about the long yellow hair in his dirt.
Once upon a time, goes the tale, nature-loving Harriet leaves her cottage for a stroll. While appreciating the surrounding beauty, she manages to interfere in the natural process again and again.
The story is packed with all sorts of nature facts, but in a fun way so you won't even know you're learnin'.
Larson's little touches really add to the humor - an eagle carries off an unfortunate poodle, a spider studies a 'How to Build a Web' diagram, some bears have caught a fisherman as one furry beast arrives bearing an armload of tartar sauce.
So, does the worm dad's story end the same way all the human dad's stories do?
Let's just say . . .
It always ends the same way.
Somebody does something, and then they DIE!
Here, one unhappy worm gets the lecture of his life from his father when the youngster dares to complain about the long yellow hair in his dirt.
Once upon a time, goes the tale, nature-loving Harriet leaves her cottage for a stroll. While appreciating the surrounding beauty, she manages to interfere in the natural process again and again.
The story is packed with all sorts of nature facts, but in a fun way so you won't even know you're learnin'.
Larson's little touches really add to the humor - an eagle carries off an unfortunate poodle, a spider studies a 'How to Build a Web' diagram, some bears have caught a fisherman as one furry beast arrives bearing an armload of tartar sauce.
So, does the worm dad's story end the same way all the human dad's stories do?
Let's just say . . .
September 30, 2021
We used to read this with the kids. Looking back on it not sure it was a kids book but they seemed to like it.
It tells the story of a worm family at dinner, and how humans have stuffed up nature. At the end even a lowly worm has its day.
Funny in a macabre way. Not for you if you are sqeamish about what we all having coming to us.
It tells the story of a worm family at dinner, and how humans have stuffed up nature. At the end even a lowly worm has its day.
Funny in a macabre way. Not for you if you are sqeamish about what we all having coming to us.
February 25, 2025
THERE'S A HAIR IN MY DIRT...A Worm's Story is part fable, part biology
lesson, and all black humor. With a smidge of sarcasm. Pure Gary Larson.
Legitimized by Eco-scientist and philosopher Edward O. Wilson's foreword.
Honored by The New York Times Bestseller list.
Read by ME ! Twice, even.
That says alot.
A young worm is grossed out when he finds a hair in his dinner. All of his
frustrations with a young worm's life and destiny come pouring out.
Dad sets him straight with a fairy tale replete with cuddly forest creatures,
an idyllic setting and an oversized and clueless young maiden. She, of the too much makeup and tiara,sees only beauty and harmony. Dad sees ......well, something a little less bucolic.
If you're a fan of the syndicated (now defunct) Larson cartoon one-liners, or just appreciate your comedy a little darker, this is a great laugh out loud read.
lesson, and all black humor. With a smidge of sarcasm. Pure Gary Larson.
Legitimized by Eco-scientist and philosopher Edward O. Wilson's foreword.
Honored by The New York Times Bestseller list.
Read by ME ! Twice, even.
That says alot.
A young worm is grossed out when he finds a hair in his dinner. All of his
frustrations with a young worm's life and destiny come pouring out.
Dad sets him straight with a fairy tale replete with cuddly forest creatures,
an idyllic setting and an oversized and clueless young maiden. She, of the too much makeup and tiara,sees only beauty and harmony. Dad sees ......well, something a little less bucolic.
If you're a fan of the syndicated (now defunct) Larson cartoon one-liners, or just appreciate your comedy a little darker, this is a great laugh out loud read.
March 31, 2016
Please enjoy this ingeniously hilarious work of well-illustrated satire by one of my favorite cartoonists of all time, none other than Gary Larson. And remember: don't mess around with nature!
August 16, 2019
This is a must for any Gary Larson fan!
If you were anything like me, you always did those Far Side day-by-day tear-away desktop/off-the-wall calendars for YEARS...that way you had a Far Side comic each and every day.
But, if you were also like me, for whatever reason, you never knew about THIS...
This glorious little picture book that's actually more for the adults (as with his comics)...
Which Larson put out in 1998, after his run with The Far Side.
I recently, after learning of it, somehow managed to snag a mint-condition hardcover first edition copy of this to add to my collection...and the experience of holding this ginormous (8.5in by 11in) picture book while I read it really did bring such a giddy grin across my inner snark with every page turn. And, boy, did it bring back all those Gary Larson and The Far Side memories!
As expected, the artwork is...well, it's Gary Larson! So of course it's good, and hilarious...all those hilarious little touches that you can almost miss if you're not really looking.
And it's actually a pretty good, cool, little story! (Larson style, of course!)
This is definitely a "nerd collector piece" for me, and won't be leaving my collection if I have anything to do with it.
If you were anything like me, you always did those Far Side day-by-day tear-away desktop/off-the-wall calendars for YEARS...that way you had a Far Side comic each and every day.
But, if you were also like me, for whatever reason, you never knew about THIS...
This glorious little picture book that's actually more for the adults (as with his comics)...
Which Larson put out in 1998, after his run with The Far Side.
I recently, after learning of it, somehow managed to snag a mint-condition hardcover first edition copy of this to add to my collection...and the experience of holding this ginormous (8.5in by 11in) picture book while I read it really did bring such a giddy grin across my inner snark with every page turn. And, boy, did it bring back all those Gary Larson and The Far Side memories!
As expected, the artwork is...well, it's Gary Larson! So of course it's good, and hilarious...all those hilarious little touches that you can almost miss if you're not really looking.
And it's actually a pretty good, cool, little story! (Larson style, of course!)
This is definitely a "nerd collector piece" for me, and won't be leaving my collection if I have anything to do with it.
January 4, 2025
This is not a children's picture book. The message is for anyone who has an interest in nature and enjoys Larson's style.
This is a concise synopsis of key ideas in environmental science told with Larson's quirky sense of humor which makes it a quick and worthwhile read.
E.O. Wilson's Foreword can be read at the 'fore' but it should be read again at the end.
This is a concise synopsis of key ideas in environmental science told with Larson's quirky sense of humor which makes it a quick and worthwhile read.
E.O. Wilson's Foreword can be read at the 'fore' but it should be read again at the end.
January 7, 2018
I had no idea Gary Larson's genius had produced a children's book. Well, actually, I wouldn't call this a book for children. Kids on the young side of pre-teen, maybe. It's a meditation on the cycle of life, including the 'revelation' that in the end, we will all be wormfood.
May 17, 2016
I found this short graphic story so sarcastic and hilarious. The art was rather good, too. It looked childish, but it really wasn't. The language and content is too advanced for children.
October 8, 2020
My grandpa passed at the beginning of the year, and I was going through some of her things over summer and found this book. It looked cute so I took it home.
It was funny, there's no doubt about that:
‘She has constantly tried to make their home as cherry as possible, even going so far as always putting silverware on the table—despite the fact that none of them had arms.’
‘Maybe I should’ve added some oregano.’
‘Not only is your mother's dirt not good enough for you.’
‘We can all have some fresh, cold dirt for dessert!’
Despite the size of this, this is in no way a kid's book and shouldn't be labeled as such.
There were curse words:
‘I’m in hell.’
A squirrel wears a shirt saying ‘I kicked Thumper’s Ass.’
There's ‘Male Ladybugs Anonymous.’
“Oh, Mother Nature! What a sex maniac you are!”
Some slave ants end up escaping their slave lives by doting on the queen, known as “abdomen kissers.”
Then there's the stuff that's just not kid-friendly, like Lumberjack Bob running over a squirrel.
A father bird cooks up his and his wife’s eggs, while the mother says “George! No!”
Harriet throws a tortuous in the water thinking it’s a turtle and it drowns while saying “Oh, the irony.”
On a tree branch a big flashes another bug.
An eagle carries a pet dog on a leash away.
The beautiful maiden turns out to be not so beautiful. I didn't quite understand that.
Some kind of monster, probably Big Foot, reading Field Guide to the Humans.
‘All squirrels are rodents, but in the wrong time and place, some are rats.’
Spider reading an instruction manual on how to spin a web.
The birds make pretty noise that’s actually them communicating with insults, warnings and come-ons. Their songs were funny.
‘(In fact, all baby birds are taught by their parents not to even smile, or their beaks will crack.)’
A baby deer scares his sibling with a hunters mask, because their brains develop as they play and become smarter. And smarter animals have more of a chance of survival than dumb ones. ‘Bambi’s mom never played much as a kid, and look what happened to her.’
Dragonflies should be called ‘winged assassins.’ They’re skilled predators.
Most toads and some frogs have a powerful, sometimes lethal, toxin on their skin, so kissing them isn’t a good idea.
He told his son if he must kiss out of his species to. Goose a gastropod over an amphibian! Lol idk what a gastropod is...
Each worm has both male and female reproductive organs.
Bears were reading field guide to humans.
Royal moths resemble owl eyes. Like owl butterflies!!
Beetles looked like fireflies, using a cold chemical process to produce light and attract mates.
Nurse trees are crucial for new growth and survival of the forest. A fallen tree is arguably more alive than standing trees, because organisms make up much of their trees.
A worm’s poem: ‘I think that I shall never see
a poem as lovely as
a big, rotting tree carcass.’
Golden eagles ensure their own survival by giving their younger siblings the “heave-ho”!!! Hardiest rescued a baby bird only for it to be kicked out of the nest again. Just awful!
The author says it takes place in the parent’s absence, which isn’t surprising to other species younger siblings. Haha!
Interesting to learn that healthy trees don’t burn easily, unless there’s a lot of fallen branches and debris around.
Fires can help the forest by burning the kindling and keeping it from building up.
Two squirrels live in a tree named Chip ‘N Dale.
It was funny how she hit the snake with a stick to save the mouse. She grabbed the mouse, wiped a tear and released it. Not knowing the snake ate rodents, some who carry deadly diseases which the mouse she held had. One day she walked out of her cottage and died.
I couldn’t believe it!! What a horrible story!
It was funny how Mother thinking ‘Hey! Somebody’s got their butt on the table!’
‘Father Worm sat back, stretching himself out to his full, glorious three and a half inches.’
‘No worms, no plants; and no plants, no so-called higher animals running around with their oh-so-precious backbones!’
Father Worm said they’re the movers and shakers of the planet, “skinless superheroes.”
Because he didn’t have a fist to hit the table with he just yelled “BANG!”
The moral was Harriet loved nature but didn’t understand it. She vilified some animals while romanticizing others. She missed the keys to understanding the natural world. Which most people are guilty of.
I thought the first ending was bad. When the son said the story didn’t have a happy ending, the dad says it does if you’re a worm.
The hair in his dirt was...Harriet. There lay Harriet, a skeleton over their house!!
And worms have a message for us: See you Soon.
The ending was chilling, scary and off-putting.
A little too colorful for me.
Gary Larson had a butterfly and biting mouse named after him, which is pretty cool.
It was funny, enjoyable, but a little too twisted and off color for me. And the ending...boy, what a downer.
This is no way should be a kids book. It should not be labeled as such. Despite the size, this is definitely for adults. Unless you wanna read curse words and the word sex out loud to your kids.
The images were humorous in places, but others were sad to see, like the tortious being thrown in the pond and the baby bird pushed out of the nest.
Funny, no doubt. I think nature lovers—or nature understanders—will be the true fans of this book.
This looked like a cute, humorous tale. A role reversal, where instead of a human finding a hair or a worm in their food, a worm finds a hair in their dirt.
Perhaps it’s natural, but not something I wanna think about. Death has always scared me. Especially having a relative pass fairly recently, it’s just not something I want to think about.
It was funny, there's no doubt about that:
‘She has constantly tried to make their home as cherry as possible, even going so far as always putting silverware on the table—despite the fact that none of them had arms.’
‘Maybe I should’ve added some oregano.’
‘Not only is your mother's dirt not good enough for you.’
‘We can all have some fresh, cold dirt for dessert!’
Despite the size of this, this is in no way a kid's book and shouldn't be labeled as such.
There were curse words:
‘I’m in hell.’
A squirrel wears a shirt saying ‘I kicked Thumper’s Ass.’
There's ‘Male Ladybugs Anonymous.’
“Oh, Mother Nature! What a sex maniac you are!”
Some slave ants end up escaping their slave lives by doting on the queen, known as “abdomen kissers.”
Then there's the stuff that's just not kid-friendly, like Lumberjack Bob running over a squirrel.
A father bird cooks up his and his wife’s eggs, while the mother says “George! No!”
Harriet throws a tortuous in the water thinking it’s a turtle and it drowns while saying “Oh, the irony.”
On a tree branch a big flashes another bug.
An eagle carries a pet dog on a leash away.
The beautiful maiden turns out to be not so beautiful. I didn't quite understand that.
Some kind of monster, probably Big Foot, reading Field Guide to the Humans.
‘All squirrels are rodents, but in the wrong time and place, some are rats.’
Spider reading an instruction manual on how to spin a web.
The birds make pretty noise that’s actually them communicating with insults, warnings and come-ons. Their songs were funny.
‘(In fact, all baby birds are taught by their parents not to even smile, or their beaks will crack.)’
A baby deer scares his sibling with a hunters mask, because their brains develop as they play and become smarter. And smarter animals have more of a chance of survival than dumb ones. ‘Bambi’s mom never played much as a kid, and look what happened to her.’
Dragonflies should be called ‘winged assassins.’ They’re skilled predators.
Most toads and some frogs have a powerful, sometimes lethal, toxin on their skin, so kissing them isn’t a good idea.
He told his son if he must kiss out of his species to. Goose a gastropod over an amphibian! Lol idk what a gastropod is...
Each worm has both male and female reproductive organs.
Bears were reading field guide to humans.
Royal moths resemble owl eyes. Like owl butterflies!!
Beetles looked like fireflies, using a cold chemical process to produce light and attract mates.
Nurse trees are crucial for new growth and survival of the forest. A fallen tree is arguably more alive than standing trees, because organisms make up much of their trees.
A worm’s poem: ‘I think that I shall never see
a poem as lovely as
a big, rotting tree carcass.’
Golden eagles ensure their own survival by giving their younger siblings the “heave-ho”!!! Hardiest rescued a baby bird only for it to be kicked out of the nest again. Just awful!
The author says it takes place in the parent’s absence, which isn’t surprising to other species younger siblings. Haha!
Interesting to learn that healthy trees don’t burn easily, unless there’s a lot of fallen branches and debris around.
Fires can help the forest by burning the kindling and keeping it from building up.
Two squirrels live in a tree named Chip ‘N Dale.
It was funny how she hit the snake with a stick to save the mouse. She grabbed the mouse, wiped a tear and released it. Not knowing the snake ate rodents, some who carry deadly diseases which the mouse she held had. One day she walked out of her cottage and died.
I couldn’t believe it!! What a horrible story!
It was funny how Mother thinking ‘Hey! Somebody’s got their butt on the table!’
‘Father Worm sat back, stretching himself out to his full, glorious three and a half inches.’
‘No worms, no plants; and no plants, no so-called higher animals running around with their oh-so-precious backbones!’
Father Worm said they’re the movers and shakers of the planet, “skinless superheroes.”
Because he didn’t have a fist to hit the table with he just yelled “BANG!”
The moral was Harriet loved nature but didn’t understand it. She vilified some animals while romanticizing others. She missed the keys to understanding the natural world. Which most people are guilty of.
I thought the first ending was bad. When the son said the story didn’t have a happy ending, the dad says it does if you’re a worm.
The hair in his dirt was...Harriet. There lay Harriet, a skeleton over their house!!
And worms have a message for us: See you Soon.
The ending was chilling, scary and off-putting.
A little too colorful for me.
Gary Larson had a butterfly and biting mouse named after him, which is pretty cool.
It was funny, enjoyable, but a little too twisted and off color for me. And the ending...boy, what a downer.
This is no way should be a kids book. It should not be labeled as such. Despite the size, this is definitely for adults. Unless you wanna read curse words and the word sex out loud to your kids.
The images were humorous in places, but others were sad to see, like the tortious being thrown in the pond and the baby bird pushed out of the nest.
Funny, no doubt. I think nature lovers—or nature understanders—will be the true fans of this book.
This looked like a cute, humorous tale. A role reversal, where instead of a human finding a hair or a worm in their food, a worm finds a hair in their dirt.
Perhaps it’s natural, but not something I wanna think about. Death has always scared me. Especially having a relative pass fairly recently, it’s just not something I want to think about.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 12, 2018
A beautiful reminder that understanding nature and being inspired by it is not always the same thing. though sometimes one can be left with a sense of wonder at how some are able to miss the most obvious.
January 1, 2025
Read this at a party because of my bad time management… but I genuinely believe this was the most WITTY and smart book I’ve read all year. So funny , touched on so many ecological concepts I learned about throughout the year … pollination syndrome, batesian mimicry, salmon migration… so good. So funny. So glad I stumbled upon this.
March 26, 2017
This was a fun little book about the effects humans have on nature as told by a father worm to his son. It's from the author of The Far Side it had great illustrations and the story was hilarious.
March 16, 2026
This book is all Gary Larson. Smart, educational, sarcastic, and deeply disturbing in an entertaining way.
February 15, 2024
In typical Gary Larson fashion, this is a hilarious satirical read. If you mistake it for a child’s book, the joke is on you.
Larson packs lots of wit and fun into these pages. Every Far Side fan will love it!!!
Larson packs lots of wit and fun into these pages. Every Far Side fan will love it!!!
August 24, 2026
Love it! So good and funny, full of spot on biological and ecological info and insights. (I am a biologist so can authoritatively say this) definitely recommend
August 6, 2017
Gary Larson made a living making single panel comics striking a cord with young and adult alike, so how does he carry out a story over multiple pages? Excellently, as a matter of fact.
The best description is a children's book showing a lady walking through the woods commenting on how awful reality is and the father worm talking about why it's necessary for it to happen for nature to keep balance.
At the same time the entire thing is hilarious. The story i mocking the "Be kind to everything living" ideology of a Disney princess, and the drawings have the most amazing details. Some of them are funny enough with the woman walking through the woods, but you can also notice tiny spots of comedy hidden around. Like a bird cooking eggs and smiling while his wife is screaming.
So who does it fit for? I will say anyone. Children and adult have something to learn here, and it's entertaining for everyone. Kids love dark humor. Trust me: I am as mature as a four-year-old.
The best description is a children's book showing a lady walking through the woods commenting on how awful reality is and the father worm talking about why it's necessary for it to happen for nature to keep balance.
At the same time the entire thing is hilarious. The story i mocking the "Be kind to everything living" ideology of a Disney princess, and the drawings have the most amazing details. Some of them are funny enough with the woman walking through the woods, but you can also notice tiny spots of comedy hidden around. Like a bird cooking eggs and smiling while his wife is screaming.
So who does it fit for? I will say anyone. Children and adult have something to learn here, and it's entertaining for everyone. Kids love dark humor. Trust me: I am as mature as a four-year-old.
January 3, 2008
This book is terrific for adults. Grown-ups can get more out of it than kids. I particularly love it when the blond girl feeds a gray squirrel and the book tells us that grey squirrels are a mean bunch that bully the native red squirrel. The picture shows a grey holding out an acorn in an open palm as a peace offering while surrounded by reds who are smoking cigarrettes and wearing shirts that say "I kicked Thumper's ass." It's a hoot!
December 20, 2019
4.5 Stars!
This is a great little book. The art work is superb, the colour and detail put into each page really give a vibrant resonance to this story and even the choice of font brings something to the table. One of my favourite aspects was the reaction shown in the eyes of the characters at various times, which borders on the hilarious. This is a clever, funny and hugely enjoyable little story with a serious lesson at the bottom of it.
January 20, 2014
I think that this was one of the weirdest "kid" stories I've read in my life... So it deserves recognition. I thought that the story was interesting but at the same time extremely weird. Larson was able to add facts into his story and the drawings were pretty...what's the right word? Interesting
March 30, 2015
okay this book totally freaks me out! yes it is hilarious at the end, in a demented sense of humor way but I definitely don't think it is an appropriate book for children. so grannies, don't read this to the young ones!
October 19, 2019
Perhaps a 2.5? It was not really what I expected and is more for older audiences. Just wasn’t really my jam, but it was somewhat educational and a weird kind of humorous. Interesting, to say the least.
February 28, 2018
One evening a family of worms sits down to have a lovely dinner of dirt when the son-worm realizes there is a hair in his dinner and that being a worm is dreadful. He complains about the fact that all he eats is dirt and being a worm is reduced to living underground and not being able to do the things other animals get to do. Father-worm gets upset and tries to set the son-worm straight by telling him of a fable of mother nature. Throughout the fable, father-worm makes the son realize that mother nature vilifies some creatures while she romanticizes the others. Each time making wrong assumptions and not realizing how the circle of life works. Eventually, she saves a rat from the clutches of a snake and dies as a result of an infection the rat was carrying that the snake would be able to get rid when it predates on rodents. The moral of the story is that each animal has a specific role to play. Moreover, worms have one of the most important roles in that without worms, soils would not be fertile and all ecosystems would collapse, making worms' existence one of the superheroes, not losers who live underground. This humorous take on the life of worms is a great scientific resource that uses scientific vocabulary and scientific concepts in a humorous, entertaining way and makes this book a great read to middle schoolers and junior high school students.
September 17, 2024
My Mom got this when I was a kid, and I still have it. Gave it a quick read the other day while waiting for some cookies to finish baking.
I always remember the skeleton at the end really creeping me out and making me feel weird about the food I ate.
I always remember the skeleton at the end really creeping me out and making me feel weird about the food I ate.
April 23, 2019
NOT what I expected. I borrowed this book, looking for worm stories for a preschool storytime. This is NOT the book for tjem. That said, it's hysterical and educational! I loved it!
January 31, 2023
Most funniest book I have ever read.
Art work is fantastic.
Art work is fantastic.
February 18, 2026
Really funny book with a biological/environmental twist. My mom read this to me when I was a kid and I remember loving the dark humor, but as an adult I realize how bad it actually is HA!
December 11, 2018
Far-Side-creator Gary Larson wrote and draw a whole story after retiring from the Far Side. As I am a great admirer of his cartoons, I gave the worm’s story “There’s a hair in my dirt!” a shot and read in about a quarter of an hour. So, if you plan to read it too, don’t take the whole evening off for it. Just put it in reach in your bathroom, should be sufficient.
The story itself? Well, I liked the Far Side better. Far better, so to speak. Larson tells a story about a young girl who lives in a small cottage and who loves nature, though she does not understand it particularly well.
Hm. Okay, there are many people like that, and much of the information Larson (or the narrating father worm) gives the reader is interesting and was new to me. But the way he ridicules that Harriet girl is a little too much for me. I mean, okay, she is not the brightest bulb in the chandelier, but most of her mistakes are hardly condemnable (apart from the tortoise and the snake, of course), and there are worse character traits than naiveté in my book. For example, not loving nature and acting accordingly. With more people like Harriet, we would probably have much less plastic in our oceans. I’m just saying.
So, I do not quite understand Larsons decision to write that particular story after years of retirement. Basically, I found it quite okay, with the nice morbid Larson-touch so many of us admire. I just would have preferred that, after years of withdrawal, the Larson-loving public had been given a story with a more sensible morale.
The story itself? Well, I liked the Far Side better. Far better, so to speak. Larson tells a story about a young girl who lives in a small cottage and who loves nature, though she does not understand it particularly well.
Hm. Okay, there are many people like that, and much of the information Larson (or the narrating father worm) gives the reader is interesting and was new to me. But the way he ridicules that Harriet girl is a little too much for me. I mean, okay, she is not the brightest bulb in the chandelier, but most of her mistakes are hardly condemnable (apart from the tortoise and the snake, of course), and there are worse character traits than naiveté in my book. For example, not loving nature and acting accordingly. With more people like Harriet, we would probably have much less plastic in our oceans. I’m just saying.
So, I do not quite understand Larsons decision to write that particular story after years of retirement. Basically, I found it quite okay, with the nice morbid Larson-touch so many of us admire. I just would have preferred that, after years of withdrawal, the Larson-loving public had been given a story with a more sensible morale.
December 29, 2020
Did a dramatic reading with the lads. Wack, but I think we read it the way it was intended to be read.
June 7, 2011
Adult humor in a picture book format by Gary Larson of The Far Side Gallery. I couldn't help laughing at this twisted but hilarious story. Since I chose it solely based on the title (I was looking for picture books with worms), this was quite an unexpected surprise. A great example of picture books that are really for adults, not the little ones.
As funny as I found this book, it is definitely not a book I'd recommend for classrooms or children's sections of libraries since having a child go around repeating
As funny as I found this book, it is definitely not a book I'd recommend for classrooms or children's sections of libraries since having a child go around repeating
March 24, 2011
HAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!! I LOVE THIS BOOK! this was a very funny book with lots of pictures, ( I Like Pictures) and the author made the book a childish adult book, which was very interesting. The pictures in the book were so funny they had me laughing for hours, even though the pages had a few sentences on, each page. and everytime I open the book I still do laugh.
One thing I liked was that the reader had to look for little things on the pages, and the book was filled with hillarious pictures that were tiny details to such a big page. Honestly there wasn't anything I didnt like about the book. I would definatley recommend this to a friend, expecially someone who enjoys a good laugh.
One thing I liked was that the reader had to look for little things on the pages, and the book was filled with hillarious pictures that were tiny details to such a big page. Honestly there wasn't anything I didnt like about the book. I would definatley recommend this to a friend, expecially someone who enjoys a good laugh.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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