Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 1-A young child is the catalyst of events when playing in the dirt during a beautiful day. Initially, the child digs and discovers a worm. A rock, then a pill bug, a seed, a spider, and a sprout all make an appearance. Add some water to the mix, and the child creates mud to begin another exciting adventure. Nonverbal characters also come into play; the worm plays an interested role when reviewing its surroundings and shows alarm when the rock blocks its entryway. Illustrations, created using linoleum block prints on paper with some digital touches, place the dirt in center view so the focus often remains on the child's hands. Hints of what is to come, such as the packet of radish seeds strewn about, add a sense of wonder and celebration of the natural world. Brief phrases accentuate the necessity of both action and waiting. "I dig in the dirt.../and find a seed./Seed waits./I dig in the dirt.../and find a spider./Spider runs." VERDICT Here's a sunny offering of the fun waiting to be explored just beneath the earth's surface.-Meg Smith, Cumberland County Public Library, Fayetteville, NC © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
I dig in the dirt... / and find a worm. / Worm wiggles. I dig in the dirt... / and find a rock. / Rock sits." A boy digs and finds various items in a garden until he creates something new: mud. The satisfyingly barely-there text is illustrated with digitally touched up linoleum block prints with a suitably gritty look. (c) Copyright 2016. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
An exploration into the dirt uncovers worms, pill bugs, seeds, and more. An eager child is planting some seeds and seedlings into a plot of earth. The digging uncovers a worm. "Worm wiggles." More digging produces a rock. "Rock sits." Still more digging uncovers a pill bug that curls, a seed that waits, a spider that runs, and a sprout that grows. Our intrepid gardener keeps digging, placing plants into the ground, watering them, and making mud in the process. The spare, repetitive text is appropriate for the audience, but it leads to an unfortunate lack of clarity regarding whether the child is finding some of the objects in the dirtthe seeds and sprouts, for exampleor placing them there. The illustrations, done with linoleum block prints on paper with digital touch-ups, feature close-ups of the child's hands and the soil being dug. The critters unearthed, even the worm and spider, appear friendly, and some strategically placed birds and flowers add welcome pops of color. Use this one to talk to preschoolers about what's in the ground and encourage them to find their own plot of earth to explore. (Picture book. 2-5) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
