Small Readers: What about worms? by Ryan T. Higgins

 The Elephant and Piggie Like Reading series continues, introducing another fun author/artist via these favorite characters. Piggie has a new book to show Gerald and it's all about WORMS!

Ryan T. Higgins, creator of Mother Bruce, the grumpy bear, and Penelope the t-rex, introduces a very, very brave tiger. The tiger is obviously a stuffed animal, with black button eyes and rounded paws. They aren't afraid of anything... except... maybe... worms. As the tiger encounters different things, they at first enjoy them - a pot of flowers, an apple, a book, until they realize there could be WORMS.

Finally, terrified of all the possible worms in the world, the tiger flees... and then the worms DO appear. Of course, it turns out that they're scared of tigers but unlike the tiger, they're willing to take a chance and read about them to learn more.

Elephant and Piggie end the story with a silly pun. The tiger doesn't end the story by making friends with the worms, as you might expect in a typical easy reader, but the message that you should learn more about things that scare you before running away, is still firmly underlined.

This is a delightful combination of Ryan Higgins' trademark humor and heart, a gentle lesson, and the familiar Elephant and Piggie dynamic to round out the story.

Verdict: This should be a popular addition to the series and a must-have for library collections.

ISBN: 9781368045735; Published May 2020 by Hyperion; Purchased four copies for the library