The Worm Family by Tony Johnston

“Rejoice in who you are!  Rejoice in who everyone else is!”  That is the quote on the inside of the cover of The Worm Family, by Tony Johnston, and that is what the story is really all about.  A worm family would like to find a permanent home but get chased out of neighborhoods because other underground creatures don’t approve of them.  The worm family doesn’t want trouble so they keep moving but they eventually decide enough is enough.  They take pride in themselves and this pride and goodness is eventually recognized by the neighbors and they are accepted.  I adored this book and felt satisfied that even worms can find value in their lives!  This book flowed beautifully off the readers tongue because it had somewhat of a rhyme scheme going.  However, the rhyming words weren’t just simple words like “cat” and “hat.”  Elevated vocabulary that offered a challenge to the reader like “toes” and “discomposed” was used.  The story had a definite plot and we go to see the entire worm family develop into a strong unit that valued their own worth.  The illustrations were done in oil paint on paper and they were superb.  They showed scenes from a variety of perspectives, for instance one of the pictures was done from the perspective of the worms looking out a key hole onto a caterpillar family looking in.  It is obvious that a great deal of care was taken because the pictures were filled with details that gave the reader more information.  My favorite picture is of the worm family trying to fit in by wearing “cool” shades, listening to worm jazz, learning other languages, admiring art (a Mona Lisa worm of course), and reciting poetry.  “Wormer, Wormer, Burning Bright…In the dirt clods of the night…” J
            I can definitely see myself using this book in a classroom someday.  First, I would use this book in an insect or bug text set.  This book could be made interactive by allowing kids to identify the different types of bugs depicted in the story.  Also, there is a lot of factual information about worms presented in this book in a humorous way.  I would want to check the accuracy of it before I used it in a class, though, because it does not cite any references.  This book could also be used to talk about families.  The worm family differs from the traditional worm family because uncles, aunts, and grandparents all live together.  The family members are all very supportive of each other and find their strength through this support.  This book could also be used to talk about valuing one’s own uniqueness.  I would first discuss what the worms were insecure about and then talk about strategies they tried in an attempt to fit in and whether or not these were successful.  The front of the book contains pictures and names of each of the worm family members so, as a potential writing assignment, students could pick one of the characters and retell the story for their perspective.  I think activities such as this are valuable because children get to practice the skills involved with point-of-view and character development in their writing.  Lastly, I would definitely use this book for Readers Theater.  There are lots of parts so the whole class could be involved and kids would have fun creating bug costumes and masks.  I think Readers Theater is great because it fosters a sense of community in the classroom that makes each day a little better.
Year Published: 2004          Illustrated:Stacy Innerst