What about Worms!? (Elephant & Piggie Like Reading! #7)

PreS-Gr 2--Piggie and Elephant have a grave dilemma: Should they read a book about worms, even if they are uncertain how it will end? They bravely decide to, and as they read, they meet a tiger who is also afraid of worms. Worms are obviously slimy and wiggly, thinks Tiger. Suddenly every object Tiger comes upon is related to worms. Flowers plus dirt equal worms. Crunchy apples equal worms. A book on the ground with a wiggly illustration must be a worm, too! Tiger runs away just as a group of striped worms declares it is afraid of tigers. Ultimately, the worms realize the book Tiger left behind is about tigers, but will they be daring enough to read it? Fans of Piggie and Elephant will be drawn to this title because of Willems's familiar text style. The accompanying illustrations on white and colored backgrounds effectively show the characters' energy and emotions. VERDICT Readers will identify with the characters' reluctance to try new things and learning about unfamiliar topics.--Martha Rico, Yselta ISD, TX

In this spry addition to Willems's ongoing series, Elephant and Piggie read a book about deceptively fierce Tiger, who is not afraid of anything--except worms. After Tiger explains his aversion to the critters (they're slimy, they "like to wiggle," and "you cannot tell their tops from their bottoms!"), he is distracted by things he loves--flowers planted in soil, a shiny apple hanging from a tree--only to toss them aside when he remembers, with horror, that worms enjoy those very same things. Unearthed, a few worms articulate their dislike of tigers (they're furry, they like to walk, and "you can tell their tops from their bottoms!"), until they realize that Tiger has left behind the shattered planter he dropped and the apple he spat out, precipitating a reversal of opinion that is, wryly, unreciprocated by the terrified, emotive tiger. Though Higgins (the Mother Bruce series) slips in worthwhile intimations about making snap judgments, his spare, Bill Watterson-tinged art and snappy dialogue create a cleverly meta early reader that solidly stands on its comical feet. Ages 4-8. Author's agent (for Higgins): Paul Rodeen, Rodeen Literary. (May)