Children's Books on Bugs - Woderful Worms

"Wonderful Worms" by Linda Glaser

"Wonderful Worms" by Linda Glaser, Pictures by Loretta Krupinski 

Of the two books I looked at this week that depict worms ("Diary of a Worm" is the other one.), I prefer this one. Not only does it meet my criteria for showing levels and layers (both underground and above ground at the same time), it teaches a little about what worms do. It also has lots of illustrations of  plants (roots, trees, leaves, grass, flowers, mushrooms, seeds, ferns) and animals/creatures (birds, worms, mice, people, snakes, chipmunk with acorns, toad on a rock, dog digging for a bone, mole catching a worm, lizard, snail, rabbit eating strawberries, butterfly).
While reading the book, we'll be able to talk about the plants and animals and what they're doing, as well as observe patterns in the different leaves, snake scales, robin's feathers, mole's fur, etc.

Look at all that action above and below ground!

I'll definitely be presenting this book to all my mosaic kiddos. I really like the way it talks about the importance of worms in the garden and the illustrations are perfect for talking about layers and levels. There are so many creatures and different plants to look at discuss. There's also a page at the very end that gives "Facts About Wonderful Worms:"

 Q: "Which animal is the most dangerous to earthworms?"

A: "People who spray insecticides (bug-killer poisons) on the earth are the biggest danger to earthworms. that's because poisons can kill many acres of worms at one time. And there can be over a million earthworms in one acre of fertile land!"

Children's Books on Bugs - Diary of a Worm

"Diary of a Worm" by Doreen Cronin

In my continuing quest to find books that illustrate the natural world (i.e. garden and outdoors) for my mosaic kiddos, I picked up "Diary of a Worm" by Doreen Cronin, Pictures by Harry Bliss. What I'm looking for in the books are some good illustrations of layers and levels, like underground, above ground and sky. I'd like the illustration to spark some design ideas for the kids in creating the sketches for the collaborative mosaic we'll be working on.

Some of the bugs and bees (before firing in the kiln)
that we'll incorporate into our mosaic.

We spent two weeks creating components (some bugs, bees and caterpillars) to incorporate into our mosaic, but now we need to come up with an overall design to begin filling in with glass.
The "Diary of a Worm" is a pretty funny book that I think my littles (preK-1st grade) will really laugh at. I got a chuckle out of several of the pages: " Today we made macaroni necklaces in art class. I brought mine home and we ate it for dinner." But, I also appreciated that the author touched a little bit on the purpose of worms: "When we dig tunnels, we help take care of the earth. 'Must make tunnel-help Earth Breathe.'"
I also liked the illustrations on several pages that showed a side view of the ground, both above and below. I'd like our collaborative mosaic to have a similar style, showing viewers what's happening below ground, above ground and in the sky at the same time.
I also want to get some of the other books by the author: Diary of a Worm: Teacher's Pet, Diary of a Spider and Diary of a Fly. I think my niece (~6)  would enjoy these, too, and be able to read them on her own.