Worm's Eye View: Make Your Own Wildlife Refuge

School Library Journal

Gr 3-8-- Four books that offer a wide range of information in a unique way. Each is illustrated with full-color, amusing but accurate drawings. All of the pages are crammed full of information, frequently in two or three columns. This makes for hard reading, which detracts from the otherwise useful aspects of the volumes. Worm's Eye View encourages readers to find ``a patch of ground that nobody uses.'' They are first introduced to what is in that ground, from microbes to worms, and among other ideas, are encouraged to plant seeds to fill it. Poison Beware! discusses how some common poisons enter the body, including germs, tobacco, alcohol, and drugs. What a Load of Trash! considers the ever-growing need to recycle, other ways to cut use of essential materials, plus the problem of increasing mounds of waste. All is covered with an amusing touch. Down the Drain is a detailed ``how things work'' look at bathing and washing up, and at household plumbing. It's the most fun of the four, with only a brief ``message'' on water conservation. Even though the picture-book format may put them off, middle schoolers will find these books informative. They certainly will enjoy the humor, as will younger children, who may need some help with the text. --Sylvia S. Marantz, Wellington School, Columbus, OH