What About Worms!? by Ryan T. Higgins

Pre-K thru 6th grade – Texas 2x2 category – Beginning Reader

Genre or category

Children’s Literature

Picture Book

Easy Reader

Texas 2x2

Target Age Group

Ages 0 - 8

Pre-K – 2nd grade

Lexile Level: 310 according to NoveList (EBSCOhost, 2020)

Summary

Tiger is not afraid of anything, except worms. Readers will follow along as they learn, right along with Tiger, that worms may be everywhere.

Justification

My local public library has this book cataloged and shelved as an Easy or Beginning Reader (Tulsa City-County Library [TCCL], n.d.). The short little book was selected by the Texas Library Association (TLA) as a Texas 2x2 quality book in 2021 for parents to introduce to their younger readers (Texas Library Association, n.d.). What About Worms!? has also been chosen as a Theodor Seuss Geisel Honor Book and is a Mo Willems “Elephant & Piggie Like Reading” book (Goodreads, n.d.). It is a popular story amongst Tulsa City-County Library parents as more than half of our inventory is frequently and consistently checked out (TCCL, n.d.).

Evaluation

For this review, I will be evaluating illustrations, character, and tone.

What About Worms?! was written and illustrated by Ryan T Higgins and features a beautifully crafted tiger that is still friendly in appearance so that young readers will enjoy him. The pages are brightly colored, and not too busy so they don’t overwhelm young minds. The facial expressions rendered by Higgins are perfect for showcasing Tiger’s emotions and certainly bolster the knowledge that Tiger truly does not like worms. However, near the end of the story, we get to meet some expressionless worms and follow them as they overcome their fear of Tiger. It could be that I was very invested in the story at this point, but I found the lack of expressions on the worm's faces so appealing and I found them to be absolutely silly.

This friendly little tiger is sure to capture your heart, regardless of your personal opinions on worms. We don’t get to know this tiger on a personal level in this short book, but we do get to see his very real aversion to worms. Readers can sympathize with this poor frightened tiger, and we can giggle at his seemingly silly plight. But for some readers, our poor tiger’s aversion to worms can be very real for them. They most likely have their own fears too, and while they can’t see themselves as this tiger, they can see themselves in this little tiger. Introducing Tiger and his dilemma to a child is a great tool to start discussions on fears and how we can see the brighter side of things.

Ryan Higgins did a marvelous job addressing his young audience with his story. When I was reading this story, it reminded me of having a conversation with a young kid: the rapid change of direction in conversation, very simple statements, and big expressions when trying to emphasize a point. It was endearing and entertaining as an adult reader, but it is simple enough to be entertaining for children too. It was clear to me, from both the tone and the illustrations, that Ryan Higgins enjoys creating for young children.

I absolutely loved this book. I found myself giggling from the start and looked forward to every page turn. Tiger was an adorable character, and his plight was quite serious, and I was pleasantly surprised by the worms towards the end. I gave this beginning reader a 5 out of 5 stars on Goodreads because I genuinely believe that this was a great little story that every parent should read to their kid. Outside of being a wonderful work, it can be used as a great conversation starter for discussing fears.

 

References

EBSCOhost. (2002) What about worms!? (R.T. Higgins, Illus.).. NoveList Plus. https://search-ebscohost-com.db.tulsalibrary.org/login.aspx?direct=true&db=neh&tg=UI&an=10884405&site=novp-live

Goodreads. (n.d.). What about worms!? (R.T. Higgins, Illus.). https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51300478-what-about-worms

Higgins, R. T. (2020) What about worms!? (R.T. Higgins, Illus.). Hyperion Books for Children.

Texas Library Association. (n.d.) 2x2: Past lists. https://txla.org/past-lists/#accordion-2021

Tulsa City-County Library. (n.d.) What about worms!? (R.T. Higgins, Illus.). Catalog. https://tccl.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S63C5025220