This book was hilarious and much darker than I expected. Not necessarily a bedtime story, but would be great for older kids. I really appreciate all of the fun and sarcastic nature facts. ( )

Independent reading level: 9th grade and up
Awards: None

Save this for the older kiddos who can read this on their own and not be put off by a couple of curses in the side cartoons. You definitely need a Larson-esque sense of humor to enjoy this oddball story-within-a-story that a father worm tells his son worm to make him appreciate his place in nature--and the hair in his dirt.

A maiden named Harriet enjoys her walk through the woods, appreciating nature but not understanding it. Here's a taste of the humor:

"To be sure, these furry creatures had the 'cute' thing down real good--regrettably. You see, Harriet was feeding Gray Squirrels, a large, aggressive species that had been introduced to this forest and were taking it over from the native Red Squirrels, a smaller, more timid species. All squirrels are rodents, but in the wrong place and time, some are rats."

Cue picture of tough-guy gray squirrels sticking up a red squirrel for its acorn.

Harriet goes on her way, causing harm with better intentions than intelligence...but the lack of the latter has, well, consequences.

Amusing for adults, but don't mistake it for a kids story! ( )

As long as I am adding worm books.... This is one of my favorites. I read it to my 9th grade Earth Systems students too. My 4 year old loves it and my daughters think it is funny. It has a lot of good points and environmental issues in it. Don't forget that Gary Larsen (The Far Side author) is an Entomologyst (sp) (bug scientist) at heart! ( )

This isn't a book for children.