Wonderful Wiggly Worms

The Worm Family has its Picture Taken written by Jennifer Frank

A young worm dresses her family up for a photo, but ultimately comes to appreciate them for who they are.

Carl and the Meaning of Life written and illustrated by Deborah Freedman

When a field mouse asks Carl the earthworm why he tunnels through the dirt, Carl doesn’t have an answer, so he sets off to find out.

Yucky Worms written by Vivian French

While helping Grandma in the garden, a child learns about the important role of the earthworm in helping plants grow.

Worm loves Worm written by J.J. Austrian

Two worms in love decide to get married, and with help from Cricket, Beetle, Spider, and the Bees, they have everything they need and more, but which one will be the bride and which the groom?

Winnie Finn, Worm Farmer written by Carol Brendler

Winnie Finn raises earthworms, which help her neighbors win prizes at the county fair. Includes instructions on making a worm farm.

Superworm written by Julia Donaldson

Superworm’s bug friends attempt to free him from the clutches of Wizard Lizard who, having heard of Superworm’s wondrous and heroic deeds, captures him and forces him to dig for treasure.

Noodle & Lou written by Elizabeth Garton Scanlon

Noodle, a worm, is sad and feeling bad about himself, but his friend Lou, a bird, convinces him that he is likeable just as he is.

Bad Apple: a tale of friendship written by Edward Hemingway

When Mac, an apple, meets Will, a worm, they become fast friends, teaching each other games and even finishing each other’s sentences. But apples aren’t supposed to like worms, and Mac gets called “rotten” and “bad apple.” At first, Mac doesn’t know what to do–it’s never easy standing up to bullies–but after a lonely day without Will, Mac decides he’d rather be a bad apple with Will than a sad apple without.

Nonfiction

Garden Wigglers: earthworms in your backyard written by Nancy Loewen

Describes the physical characteristics, life cycle, and behavior of earthworms.

Wormy morning — Eating dirt — Nature’s gardeners — How worms move — He? she? or it? — Wiggling back home — Look closely at an earthworm — Fun facts — Make your own worm farm — Words to know — To learn more

Wiggling Worms at Work written by Wendy Pfeffer

Read and find out about worms and the important work they do in this colorfully illustrated nonfiction picture book.

Crawling through the dirt, worms are hard at work. Worms help the fruit and vegetables we eat by loosening the soil and feeding the plants. Read and find out about these wiggling wonders!

Compost stew: An A to Z recipe for the earth written by Mary McKenna Siddals

A rhyming recipe explains how to make the dark, crumbly, rich, earth-friendly food called compost.

Wiggly Worms: A Garden Science Activity Guide:

https://lemonlimeadventures.com/worms-garden-science-activity/

Worm activities for preschoolers: https://mamabeefromthehive.blogspot.com/2012/03/ww-worm-day-preschool-style.html

Earthworms In a Day – Fun Life Science: https://www.teachjunkie.com/sciences/earthworms-day-fun-life-science/

Into The Night!

Full Moon written and illustrated by Camilla Pintonato

As the sun sets, the little gray rabbits are busy in their secret workshop, but what could they be making? Follow along as the rabbits prepare for the big event, inviting all of their forest friends to the celebration. The mice, foxes, porcupines, and other forest creatures gather as the full moon rises, and finally the big surprise is revealed. The little rabbits release beautiful paper lanterns into the sky, where they sparkle like stars in the light of the full moon.

The Midnight Fair written by Gideon Sterer

A fairground in the evening is a glowing beacon of treats and delights. Bright lights paint the midway in cotton-candy pink, lemon yellow, and candy-apple red. Alluring prizes invite folks to try a game of skill or chance. The aromas of spun sugar, warm popcorn, and baking pretzels fill the air. It is any wonder, then, that after the lights go out and the people go home, the creatures in the nearby forest want to take their turn in this color-soaked fantasyland? Join them as they take a wild joyride through the magical, marvelous midnight fair!

Little Bat in Night School written and illustrated by Brian Lies

Little Bat is excited about his first night in school! He is excited about everything: his new school supplies, learning amazing things, and making new friends. But when he finally arrives, his world turns upside down. Join Little Bat and his new opossum pal Ophelia as they discover that spreading your wings isn’t so hard– when you take the time to listen, act with kindness, and simply do your best.

Dusk Explorers written by Lindsay Leslie

It’s that special time of evening, when the hours and the possibilities seem endless: Light is fading. A buzz of excitement and wonder takes over the neighborhood. What outdoor adventures await?

Night Is for Darkness written by Jonathan Stutzman

This lyrical bedtime story celebrates the wondrous beauty of the natural world and the intimate family moments we share each night.

If You Were Night written by Muon Van

From the award-winning author of One Is a Lot and Village by the Sea comes a beautifully written, playful and dreamlike story about night creatures and their activities. With its lyrical and sensory narrative, and exquisitely detailed paper-cut illustrations, If You Were Night will entice readers’ imaginations, encourage observation and spark curiosity.

Only the Cat Saw written and illustrated by Ashley Wolff

As Tessa and her family get ready to settle down for the night, the cat gets ready to explore and sees many things.

The Night Walk written and illustrated by Marie Dorléans

“Mama opened our bedroom door. ‘Wake up, you two,’ she whispered. ‘Let’s go, so we get there on time.’ Excited, the sleepy family step outside into a beautiful summer night. The world is quiet and shadowy, filled with fresh smells and amazing sights. Is this what they miss when they’re asleep? Together, they walk out of their sleeping village. What will they find in the dark landscape? This beautiful and evocative book movingly recalls family trips and the excitement of unknown adventure, while celebrating the awe-inspiring joy of the natural world.

In the Dark: the science of what happens at night written by Lisa Deresti Betick

Do you know why humans snore? Or how a cat sees in the dark? Have you ever heard of a flower that blooms only at night?

The answers to these nighttime mysteries and more are revealed in this entertaining non-fiction introduction to the science of night. There’s a whole world of activity going on in the world in the dark, and even inside us, when our bodies and brains seem to be quiet and still.

In the Dark investigates the big questions about what happens at night, from why we dream to why night exists at all. With each chapter tackling a different topic, young readers will uncover everything there is to know about human sleep, nocturnal creatures, all kinds of plants and the objects in the night sky. Along the way, they’ll learn fascinating facts about snoring, animal adaptations, lunar eclipses and tons more — even plants that do math overnight! With excellent STEM curriculum links in Earth, Life and Physical Sciences, In the Dark is sure to foster a love of science in young readers.

Night Sky Painting For Kids Art Activity: https://www.pre-kpages.com/nighttime-sky-process-art/

Paper Plate Bat at Night Puppet Craft Activity: https://kidscraftroom.com/paper-plate-bat-puppet-craft/

Starry Night Sensory Bag: tomnancy619@me.com

Five Moon Activities for Kids: https://www.whatdowedoallday.com/five-moon-activities-for-kids/

What is a Parasite?

What’s Eating You? parasites–the inside story written by Nicola Davies

Mites and lice, fleas, ticks, and tapeworms — most living creatures that have a habitat also are a habitat, including you (are you itchy yet?). Unwelcome guests — parasites — are everywhere, from the barnacles hitching a ride on a humpback whale’s head to the tiny flies that control a bee’s brain and make it literally dig its own grave. Now an expert team returns for an in-depth look at how these insidious critters do it, whether it’s leaping aboard moving targets or morphing their body shapes, and what their unwitting hosts have learned to do to fight back and reclaim their space.

Zombie makers: true stories of nature’s undead written by Rebecca Johnson

Examines real-life accounts of zombies in nature, including a fly-enslaving fungus, a suicide worm, and a cockroach-taming wasp, and related topics.

Chiggers written by Gail Jarrow

Parasites are animals, insects, viruses, and microscopic beings that latch onto, trap, trick, and live off of other living things. This series provides a colorful overview of what these yucky creatures are, how they work, what and why they do what they do. A chigger is too small to see as it attacks. But this familiar parasite creates a big itch when it feasts on its host’s skin cells.

Malaria: how a parasite changed history written by Jeanne Marie Ford

Explores the history and impact of malaria. Surviving malaria — Malaria’s early history — Finding a cause — Fighting malaria — Treating malaria.

Leeches written by Katies Marsico

Though they are most famous as parasites that feed by attaching themselves to larger hosts and sucking blood, leeches are actually a diverse group of worms.

Lice written by Katie Marsico

There are more than 3,500 species of lice that can be found worldwide. These parasites are tough survivors, remarkable adaptive, and feed on many different hosts. Marsico details the life and habits of lice.

Kim’s Parasite activity:

Print and laminate some tick pictures and add double sided tape or VELCRO. Place on stuffed animal and let the children use tongs or large tweezers to pick them off.

OH Octopus!

How to Put an Octopus to Bed written by Sherri Duskey Rinker

When mommy octopus tells little Floyd that it is time for bed, he decides that his parents want help getting their baths and putting on their pajamas (not what Mommy-O meant) –soon all three are covered with water and bubbles, and his parents are so exhausted that they fall asleep before Floyd is in bed.

Octicorn Party! Written by Kevin Diller

Octicorn is back! Octi dreams of having a pool party. But what if no one comes? That would be the most embarrassing thing ever! So Octi sets out to have a party that will make everyone happy — until he realizes that may just be a disaster waiting to happen.

Mabel: A Mermaid Fable written by Rowboat Watkins

A picture book about a mermaid named Mabel, who unlike the rest of her family does not have a moustache, and the seven-armed octopus who becomes her friend and helps her see that she is just right the way she is.

Octopus Stew written and illustrated by Eric Velasquez

Ramsey dons his superhero cape to rescue Grandma from the huge octopus she is trying to cook–or is he simply telling a story? Includes author’s note on the story’s origin and a recipe for Octopus stew.

Inky the Octopus written by Erin Guendelsberger

Out of this tank, I must be free. I must explore the open sea! Follow Inky the Octopus as he escapes from the National Aquarium of New Zealand to the ocean! Based on a true story, Inky the Octopus chronicles the adventure that the real-life Inky might have taken on his escape to freedom in the open ocean!

Hello, My Name is: how Adorabilis got his name written by Marisa Polansky

A new creature is added to the deep-sea tank, but what will they call this flapjack octopus? Includes an author’s note on Adorabilis and its name.

Also an Octopus: or, A little bit of nothing written by Maggie Tokuda-Hall

It begins with an octopus who plays the ukulele. Since this is a story, the octopus has to want something maybe to travel to faraway galaxies in a totally awesome purple spaceship. Then the octopus sets out to build a spaceship out of soda cans, glue, umbrellas, glitter, and waffles. OK, maybe the octopus needs some help, like from an adorable bunny friend, and maybe that bunny turns out to be . . . a rocket scientist? (Probably not.) But could something even more amazing come to pass?

Poor Little Guy written and illustrated by Elanna Allen

An octopus gets a big surprise when he chooses to pick on a tiny fish in the ocean.

Nonfiction

Octopuses: Clever Ocean Creatures written by Mara Grunbaum

Did you know that octopuses are among the most intelligent creatures on earth? Nature’s Children series provides young readers (Ages 8-10) with fascinating information about the planet’s most incredible wildlife species. Each title offers a complete picture of the animal- from birth to adulthood- and describes its place in our world, including how humans impact it and its environment.

Inky’s amazing escape: how a very smart octopus found his way home written by Sy Montgomery

The story of how in April 2016, Inky the octopus escaped from the New Zealand aquarium and became an international sensation.

National Geographic Kids octopus facts and video: https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/animals/invertebrates/facts/octopus

Octopus camouflage: http://: https://www.sciencefriday.com/educational-resources/cephalopod-camouflage-beauty-thats-skin-deep/

Jet-propelled Cephalopod experiment: https://www.sciencefriday.com/educational-resources/jet-setting-cephalopods/

O is for octopus craft: http://: https://www.sciencefriday.com/educational-resources/cephalopod-camouflage-beauty-thats-skin-deep/