The Dirt Book: Poems About Animals That Live Beneath Our Feet

by David L. Harrison, Kate Cosgrove (Illustrations)

15 fun and fact-filled poems about soil--what makes it and who lives in it!

Dirt! It's made of chipped rocks, rotting plants, decaying animals, fungi, and germs. It's food for plants and home to animals of all kinds.

15 poems explore the underground lives of earthworms, spiders, ants, chipmunks, and more.

Chipmunk, for such a little squirt
you sure do move a lot of dirt,
you sure do dig your tunnels deep,
you sure do find some nuts to keep,
you sure do know your underground.
Chipmunk, you sure do get around.

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

40 pages, Hardcover

Published June 8, 2021

Reviews

[Vernon Area Public Library KIDS · Rating 5 out of 5]

This unusual book opens vertically and is filled with beautiful illustrations and poems about what lives in the dirt. This delightful picture book is for anyone who is curious about dirt. We learn about dirt and there is poetry about dirt, insects, and animals such as Moles, Toads and Chipmunks. The author has notes and a short bibliography for those who want to learn more about the world underground.

Reviewed by: Liz Glazer, Youth and School Services, Vernon Area Public Library

[Elizabeth☮ · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is vertical so you get the idea of dirt being below us. I liked the clever poems about the many animals that live or contribute to the nourishment of dirt.

My kids aren't afraid to handle many of these "critters" (as my husband calls them). He likes to hunt for critters in the backyard. The girls love to see them and learn about them.

This is a good book to use as a starting point to get kids to make connections to what is right in their backyard.

[Nicole M. Hewitt · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review and many more can be found on my blog: Feed Your Fiction Addiction

The Dirt Book is a cute collection of poems about what goes on underground. It talks a bit about the dirt itself (what it's made of, how it got there, etc) but focuses more on the myriad of creatures that make their home beneath the earth. The book is illustrated in a vertical panoramic style, meaning you turn the pages up instead of to the left. This means there's lots of space for Cosgrove to illustrate what's going on below the ground and also just above the surface. The poems are relatively simple but fun to read aloud. Kids will get a kick out of hearing tales of creepy crawlies like the spider looking for his lunch, as well as larger animals like the gopher tortoise who has to share his home with all sorts of guests. At the end of the book, Harrison has included a paragraph of facts about each animal as well.

[SaraKat · Rating 3 out of 5]

The poems were hit or miss with me. The shape and orientation of the book are awkward. The illustrations were great and would make nice art on their own.

[Edward Sullivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A whimsically illustrated collection of fifteen fun, fact-filled poems about dirt and the critters that live in it. The book is laid out in a vertical format to take readers deep down into the ground.

[Courtney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful colored pencil illustrations arranged in vertical panoramas, show each of the creatures these poems describe and their homes and activity below the dirt. The end of the book has facts about each creature as well.

[Emily Van Haren · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a unique book!!!

[kim · Rating 2 out of 5]

some of the poems are good, others not so much

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Doodlebugs eat ants. Who knew?

In summary, I would recommend this picture book as A PART of a library on gardening, composting, or insects rather than as a standalone book on insects. But I definitely do recommend it. As a Master Composter, if I was working with young children, I would use this book to instigate discussion and back it up with other materials that contain more facts.

PLEASE READ TO END. ALL IS RESOLVED.

I love love love that the book is 11" x 9", bound on one of the 9" sides, with vertical illustrations. This allows 22" "vertical panoramas" that include the scene above ground as well as below. It's genius. The visual effect is one of being able to go down into the dirt and see what's there. Brilliant. Interesting. Provocative to curious young minds. The illustrations are spot on.

Unfortunately, the author chose poetry as the format for the text. They aren't bad poems but IMO they aren't great poems either. And the need to create rhymes and force the information into that format requires that a lot of interesting facts about these insects / creatures are omitted. So the book, while it does have some interesting information, is low on content that would increase the child's knowledge of insects and animals.

It is interesting to see what creatures live underground or burrowed into the ground. There are a few that will surprise you.

EUREKA!!
I had written the review above, when I was almost to the very end of the book, while my thoughts were flowing. When I finished the illustrated part of the book, I got to "authors notes". Yes! Here is the information I was wanting, tucked away at the end. There is a brief but information-packed paragraph on each of the creatures featured containing a delightful description. Following that is a bibliography. Perfect. Well done.

[Carol Baldwin · Rating 4 out of 5]

From the moment you hold The Dirt Book: Poems About Animals that Live Beneath Our Feet (Holiday House, 2021) in your hands, you realize that this is a unique picture book. After all, how many books do you turn 90 degrees in order to read it? I can only think of one other, Tops and Bottoms by Janet Stevens, which my (now) adult children enjoyed as kids!

In fact, the award-winning author of The Dirt Book, David L. Harrison, admitted that the brilliant design concept was worked out between his editor and the artist, Kate Cosgrove (scroll down to her October 13th post). "It was a delightful surprise to see the finished book," David said.

If you haven't yet seen this STEM poetry book, you might wonder what I'm so excited about. The reader's experience is enhanced by poems and images that begin at the top of the page and are carried through to the bottom--which shows what is going on in the dirt. And of course, since David is a poet, he uses different types of poetry to highlight these critters.

Readers from pre-kindergarten through third grade will enjoy the illustrations and poetry. The book will be a great asset to classrooms and homeschool educators. Christian parents and teachers, please be aware that the introduction includes the belief that dirt was formed two million to four billion years ago.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

David Harrison's recent book of poetry, just right for summer exploration, fills readers up with learning about that stuff that most kids love to dig in, dirt! It begins with a prose intro, fascinating, all about dirt's beginnings, its definition, and when it was first formed! The recipe is next, David's first poem. One fun, fun thing in addition to all the adventurous creatures found living and working "down below" is that the book itself is created vertically. The intro says "If we could take a magic elevator straight down into the world beneath our feet, what do you think we'd see?" All that's needed is to turn the page, and there is the recipe, followed by pages and poems about roots, doodlebugs, trapdoor spiders, all the way to those clever burrows dug by yellow-jacket wasps, and toads! More pages, more poems, fill up readers with dirt dwellers know-how. Also filling up the pages are beautiful illustrations both above and below ground by Kate Cosgrove, as David writes in the end poem, "Creatures large and small retreat/where boulders rest and tree roots drink./There's more to dirt than we might think./So many lives beneath our feet." I imagine lots of adventures out in nature with children exploring "dirt".

[Dana · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I first picked up this book the vertical format of it reminded me of a book I once purchased for my school library entitled "Tops and Bottom" by Janet Stevens. It gives the reader the visual illustrations of above ground and underground to go along with the poems about animals that live beneath our feet. It is a somewhat confusing to the reader that Harrison explains that this book is about dirt in the first vertical pages. The author's notes at the end of the book providing information about dirt, roots and animals is though very informative to the reader. I would have much preferred the author called it soil and not dirt since soil is what has been created from decomposing elements since the beginning of the earth. I think of dirt as something I brush off my hands or clothes. This book has beautiful illustrations created with colored pencils and digital tools created By Kate Cosgrove.

[Gretchen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book combines great non-fiction information about dirt and the creatures that live in it with poetry that evokes feelings about this topic. The book first surprises you by being vertical, lifting the cover vertically instead of sideways, and having two long pages to read. There are very few books that break the usual construct so this is a great mentor text to show students and widen their ideas. The book also uses a variety of poetry types which speaks to an author's choice about format as well as words to share their idea the way that they have imagined it. This would be great to use in classes that are looking at dirt in science, looking at poetry in reading or writing, looking at authors' style and craft in writing, or all of the above. This was a fun book to read and think about in the classroom.

[Veronika Rakchev · Rating 4 out of 5]

Date: 2021
Award: NCTE notable poetry
Genre: Poetry, Children’s picturebook

The Dirt Book: Poems About Animals That Live Beneath Our Feet by David L. Harrison and illustrated by Kate Cosgrove was a fun and engaging collection of poems that gave some insight to a few of the wondrous creatures that inhabit the rich world of soil. From earth-gobbling moles to city building ants, there is a great variety of animals and their unique habits. The first thing that I noticed and was surprised by was the vertical layout, which I hadn’t been exposed to often. This layout made the book that more engaging for me and showed me just how creative you can get with storytelling and artistic styles. This is a great resource to introduce students to or elaborate on the underground ecosystem.

[Terresa Wellborn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book takes a different approach to poetry: it's all about dirt and the things under our feet.

Favorite poem:
p. 6-7: Dirt recipe (I have fond memories of making a brew with dirt and found bits and pieces from my yard as a kid)

Other poems include topics such as: roots, doodlebugs, trapdoor spiders, earthworms, ants, mice, mole, toad, chipmunk. Turns out there's more to dirt that we might think. Back of book includes sources and more information about creatures found in dirt.

This book would be a great crossover book -- a way to bring poetry into science lessons/discussions/STEM.

[Deke Moulton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this!
First, the book opens the opposite way, which is delightful for children but also helps to illustrate the depths of the soul beneath our feet.
It’s a wonderful way to introduce children to poetry- especially reluctant readers or kids who are more interested in gross, grubby things and don’t want to read poetry about petty things.
The poems tell about different animals who live in the dirt- bugs. Worms. Amphibians. Reptiles. Mammals. It’s an excellent scientific book with a beautiful poetic touch.

[Bethe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun vertical opening sets the stage for poetry collection about animals that live under our feet. First page is everything you want to know about dirt, then the poems. Earthworm & ants poems sure to be a hit with kids who like rhyming poems - lots of rhyming poems. I forgot how many flying insects have nests in the ground. At the end a paragraph for each animal in the author notes, also an actual bibliography for each animal as well. Engaging illustrations for some animals that aren’t appealing appearance in real life.

[Emily Clifford · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved the poems, loved the illustration!!! There was a concrete poem, many poems had end rhyme, some good examples of repetition, imagery. There's a recipe poem too. The illustrations are just so gorgeous--very beautiful but not cutesy. The book is read with a portrait orientation, so that is a cool feature.

I can see this being a WONDERFUL addition to a classroom library where there is a nature or ecosystem unit. It would also make a terrific present for the child naturalist in your life. I think a 3rd grader would do fine with reading this independently.

[Erin Buhr · Rating 4 out of 5]

THE DIRT BOOK immediately hooked with it's clever use of vertical panorama spreads that pair so well with a collection of poems about what happens underground. From the dirt itself to the many animals that live under our feet, these poems capture the vibrant, active life underground. I love the variety of poetry types. I love the illustrations. And I love the interesting information about underground animals that are captured on these pages.

[Elaine Bearden · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty interesting book. The art is appealing and the topics/poems are fun. I don't think I like the vertical arrangement, because it makes it difficult to read if it is not an a table. But the texture of the pages is lovely too. Then at the end it has info about each animal/critter and then sources in another section. I think kids would find this appealing. The recipe for dirt was particularly appealing. I think this is the author that did Rum Pum Pum with Jane Yolen.
Holiday House

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

This short collection of simple poems celebrates and teaches about creatures that live underground. Adding visual interest are the attractive illustrations, and the vertical format of the book.
Tie-in:
--Bible, devotional--wonder of creation.
--Science units about land, composting, habitats.
--ELA poetry units.

Complaint: Although dirt is a commonly used term, the correct word for this title should be soil.

[Jenna Chandler · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is very creative and cute. It has poems about dirt and animals that live in the ground beneath our feet. I think this book would get children’s imagination flowing. They love playing in the dirt, so it is such a fun way to learn about animals beneath the surface. This book could be used to incorporate a science lesson on animals and the earth. It can be used for a poetry lesson, as well. Students would love to engage with this book of poems.

[Susan Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is precisely the kind of non-fiction, informational, lyrical, lively, adorably illustrated book that 1) teaches kids/informs kids/entertains kids (the holy trinity of kid lit); 2) deserves to end up on state lists for Childrens Book Award nominees. I love this kind of book for read alouds for grades 2 - 5 and the kids love it as well. Sharing, informing, entertaining, inspiring. From all of this comes wondering and curiosity. Win/win.

[Zoe Belcik · Rating 5 out of 5]

“The Dirt Book”, as it states on the cover, is a wonderful children’s poetry book about all the animals that live beneath our feet. This story is not only informational, but also grasps readers of any age with David L. Harrison’s strategic and poetic writing. This book tells the stories of all animals, from worms, to moles, to toads. This would make a perfect advanced learning independent read aloud or introduction to an Earth Science lesson!

[Brianna Scarmack · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first thing that I noticed about this book is that it does not open the usual way. It open vertically to increase the amount of space for drawings and words. On each page is a different poem about things in the dirt, above the dirt, and things that use the dirt. This story could be used for several days because of the different poems throughout the story. This book is very interesting and it is something that I would use in my classroom.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the vertical layout of this book and I learned so much about dirt. I never knew it took so long to make dirt and honestly took dirt for granted before reading this book. The illustrations were so beautiful and I really enjoyed the color choices. Huge bonus that it was a poetry collection. And I loved the inclusion of more information at the end and the sources.

[Aiamyia Dudley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this book had many facts that came with this book. The title was very catchy and I think in the classroom the students would enjoy this. It's about animals and poems. It's clear to say that it talks about the animals that are underground which is nice to know about. This could be great for science just because you can talk about the soil and dirt!

[Susan Armour]

What an excellent book of poems. Not only is the poetry accessible to understand, but it also introduces creatures that inhabit the dirt. This book would enhance any library for children but also adults who just want to be taken away to a different world. The illustrations go along so well with the words that there is doubt in what the author is trying to portray.

[Ellon · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars (I liked it)

The illustrations were great and so was the back matter. I didn't love all the poems. Some I really liked and some were confusing or didn't provide enough information to understand what was happening.
The book opens vertically. I get why the author did that, to show the dirt below, but it makes for awkward reading.

[Ruth Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Exquisite digital and colored pencil illustrations accompany 15 vertical poems about creatures that live or nest in the dirt.
Author Notes include information about the animals. A bibliography is printed in order of the book's contents.