The Worm Family (Bccb Blue Ribbon Picture Book Awards (Awards))
Grade 1-3 - A unique take on prejudice. The seven-member, peripatetic Worm family is very enthusiastic about its worminess. "Oh, joy! We're Worms!" is their self-affirming mantra, the first two words spelled out with their twisty bodies in Innerst's clever oil paintings. However, wherever they reside, the other families of spineless-but-armed neighbors rebel and throw weird things (valises, toothbrushes) to urge the Worms to move on. Johnston's vocabulary is challenging - "flumped," "jubilate," "regaled" - and she portrays the Worm family as not only proud but also loud, making this strange picture book tough to pigeonhole as a comprehensible lesson for youngsters. Still, there's supplemental value to this nonstory for adults to help kids realize that "each individual is different but compatible,"although the "glorious" bit seems rather much.- John Sigwald, Unger Memorial Library, Plainview, TXCopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.