Worm Loves Worm

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?

See the review at WOW Review, Volume 8, Issue 4

Worm Loves Worm is a WOW Recommends: Book of the Month for August 2016.

The Cobbler’s Holiday: Or Why Ants Don’t Wear Shoes

Long ago ants only cared about two things—fashion and dancing—and stylish shoes, the link between the two, became their biggest obsession. When the ants’ only cobbler leaves town, the ants find themselves in trouble. How are stylish ants supposed to keep in vogue without new shoes? When one ant finally does the shocking thing: shows up to a dance BAREFOOT, she creates a scandal…and eventually a new fashion trend. A witty tale of change, gracefully matched with chic art depicting high-fashion in ant-sized form.  

The Flea

“Once there was a little flea who thought that he was too little . . .” And so begins an innocent quest. The flea wants to be bigger. He scales a pea. Then scales an apple. He climbs atop a flower, a plant, a tree, a home . . . a telephone wire, a skyscraper . . . finally, the flea finds himself on a cloud! Down below, a bear notices him. So, is the flea now big? Or just high up? The Flea uses appealingly stylized art, simple text, humorous twists, and one very determined flea to give young readers a light lesson on the importance of perspective and the malleable meaning of words.

The Apple And The Butterfly

A caterpillar crawls out of an apple and retreats into its cocoon. As the seasons change, the caterpillar becomes a butterfly. Setting itself free, the butterfly feeds on a flower that grows into an apple, bringing the story full circle. With simple yet striking graphic-style illustrations, this classic wordless picture book, originally published in Italy in 1969, is sure to appeal to both children and adults.

La Cucarachita Martina

A retelling of the folktale about the criollo cockroach who has many suitors but choses the gentlemanly mouse unaware of his weakness for food. At dinnertime during their first day of marriage, he cannot wait for the meal to be served and jumps into the boiling pot, subsequently dying.

An American Plague

plagueIt’s 1793, and there’s an invisible killer roaming the streets of Philadelphia. The city’s residents are fleeing in fear. This killer has a name–yellow fever–but everything else about it is a mystery. Its cause is unknown and there is no cure. This powerful dramatic account by award-winning author Jim Murphy traces the devastating course of the epidemic. An American Plague offers a fascinating glimpse into the conditions in American cities at the time of our nation’s birth while drawing thought-provoking parallels to modern-day epidemics.

Martina the Beautiful Cockroach: A Cuban Folktale

Carmen Agra Deedy delivers a deliciously inventive Cuban version of the beloved Martina folktale, complete with a dash of café cubano.

Martina the beautiful cockroach doesn t know coffee beans about love and marriage. That s where her Cuban family comes in. While some of the Cucarachas offer her gifts to make her more attractive, only Abuela, her grandmother, gives her something really useful: un consejo increible, some shocking advice.

You want me to do what? Martina gasps.

At first, Martina is skeptical of her Abuela s unorthodox suggestion, but when suitor after suitor fails The Coffee Test, she wonders if a little green cockroach can ever find true love. Soon, only the gardener Pérez, a tiny brown mouse, is left. But what will happen when Martina offers him café Cubano?

After reading this sweet and witty retelling of the Cuban folktale, you ll never look at a cockroach the same way again.