How to Say Hello to a Worm: A First Guide to Outside

by Kari Percival, Kari Percival (Illustrator)

Overview

Say "hello" to worms, dirt, peas, and more in this gentle how-to guide for connecting with nature.

* Winner of the EZRA JACK KEATS WRITER AWARD
* An ALA Notable Children’s Book
* A CLEL Bell Award Winner

The beautiful simplicity of a garden is depicted through digital woodcut illustrations and engaging nonfiction text presented as a series of sweet questions and gentle replies. Less of a traditional how-to and more of a how-to-appreciate, this soothingly sparse text paints an inviting and accessible picture of what a garden offers. And with an all-child cast, the absence of an adult presence empowers readers to view the garden and its creatures through their own eyes, driven by curiosity and wonder.

This delightful book embodies the magic of gardening and encourages all readers, from those who LOVE the outdoors to those with hesitation, to interact with nature at their own, comfortable pace.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780593386590
Publisher:	Penguin Young Readers Group
Publication date:	02/22/2022
Sold by:	Penguin Group
Format:	eBook
Pages:	40
Lexile:	AD310L (what's this?)
File size:	11 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	2 - 4 Years

About the Author

Kari Percival's illustration style is rooted in the woodcuts she's been carving and printing for more than two decades. Kari is a 2017 recipient of the New England SCBWI Four-by-Four Mentorship. She earned a BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and a Master's in Education and Environmental Science from Antioch University. Ecology has always been her favorite topic to teach, whether in the classroom or in the community garden. Kari lives with her husband and two children just outside Boston near a magical waterfall. On rainy days, she can be found rescuing earth worms out of puddles (because she just can't walk by when they are wiggling for help).

Editorial Reviews

★ 12/20/2021

In this deceptively simple, sparkling debut, a group of young children plant a garden in raised beds and watch it grow. Percival shows rather than tells, deploying a q&a format that involves the children’s exclamations as well as conversational instructions based in noticing. (“Look! Pea plants! See how they curl around your finger?” leads to a simple tutorial on building a support structure.) Digitally manipulated silkscreen images retain their handmade feel, showing successive views of children with varying abilities and skin tones, whose expressions reveal their absorption from the first spread: “How do you plant lettuce seeds?” Responding to the question via action, one child is shown sowing the seeds (“Sprinkle, sprinkle, sprinkle”), another covers them with soil (“Pat, pat, pat”), and a third waters (“Now make some rain!”). Through action, the children learn to touch the insects they encounter (“gently, very gently”) and to judge a strawberry’s ripeness (“This one? Not yet. Too green”). Without picturing a single adult, Percival conveys the joy children can feel in working together, being outdoors, and eating food they’ve grown themselves—all with a fizzy immediacy. Back matter offers gardening tips and notes for adults on gardening with toddlers. Ages 2–4. (Feb.)

Publishers Weekly

WINNER - EZRA JACK KEATS WRITER AWARD

WINNER - CLEL BELL AWARD

ALA NOTABLE CHILDREN'S BOOK

BEST BOOK OF 2022 - CHILDREN'S BOOK COMMITTEE OF BANK STREET COLLEGE

"In this deceptively simple, sparkling debut, Percival conveys the joy children can feel in working together, being outdoors, and eating food they’ve grown themselves—all with a fizzy immediacy." — Publishers Weekly (STARRED REVIEW)

"This  gentle and engaging book for very young children captures the joy of connecting with nature and making things grow together." — The Boston Globe

Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library selected title (2023)

Kentucky Blue Grass Nominee (2024)

From the Publisher

2022-04-13
A great guide to growing young gardeners!

This book lives up to its name with a straightforward question-and-answer format that’s perfect for interested toddlers and preschoolers. Children by a raised garden bed plant lettuce seeds with a “sprinkle, sprinkle, sprinkle. / Pat, pat, pat.” The first steps of planting peas are different, but all newly planted seeds need a drink. The garden rules of insect etiquette are clear. “How do you say hello to a worm? / Gently, very gently.” And to a ladybug? “Let her crawl onto your finger. / Count her spots. / Say, Hello, Ladybug!before she flies away.” A bee? “Look but don’t poke… / Listen but don’t grab.” As they follow the growth of their garden, the children experience the joy of feeling pea tendrils curling around their fingers, having a tea party inside a play hut made from pea plants and tall sticks, and making mud. Backmatter suggests creating a “dig zone” with a clear border so kids can play and the main garden can stay safe. Finally, the children get to taste the food they’ve grown. In a slight mismatch, the children plant lettuce and peas but carefully and joyfully harvest strawberries, carrots, and peas. Illustrations created with silkscreen and collaged in Photoshop pop against a white background and show children of various ethnicities. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

Eye-catching art and simple, clear text plant the seeds for a young gardener. (Picture book. 1-4)

Kirkus Reviews