Toni D’Alia (text) and Mimi Purnell (illustrator), Worms are our Friends, Bright Light, June 2024, 24 pp., RRP $24.95 (hbk), ISBN 9781761212994
The delightful cover of Worms are our friends bursts with colourful flowers, grassy shoots, emerging plants and a wonderful rainbow. Even the happy earthworm resting on a pile of earth, has a smile. It’s a very happy book with plants, butterflies, bees, lady bugs, other bugs and berries. The earthworms go about their business digging tunnels so that air and water flow in, loosening the dirt, chomping dead leaves. At daytime, the worms stay underground. At night they come out to munch all night. It keeps them safe at night, when birds would attack them. Worms are our friends introduces children to how earthworms contribute to our ecosystem and encourage nature exploration.
Toni D’Alia’s gentle, rhythmic text, makes it ideal for reading aloud. Mimi Purnell’s bright digital illustrations bring a joyfulness to each page. The facts about worms at the end, entices the curious reader to discover more about earthworms. Worms Are Our Friends is a joyous picture book that pre-schoolers and young readers will enjoy.
Highly recommended for 3 +. This book is one of the Notables of the Picture Book of the Year category 2025.
Reviewed by Susanne Gervay
Read Bronwyn Joseph’s review here.
