Darwin's Super-Pooping Worm Spectacular

January 16, 2023
Owen presents a seldom appreciated corner of the life and work of Charles Darwin (1809–1882) in this true story of how earthworms wriggled their way into his heart. While others of the era believed worms to be pests, “Darwin KNEW worms were amazing.” With comic flair and a mix of narration and conversational text, Owen outlines the scientist’s experiments to discover their superpower, testing their sight, hearing, and sense of smell, and leading to a “spectacular” public exhibition that amuses with worms that dance to piano and compete in a “speed-eating challenge.” Upon finally discovering the important role worm castings play in global ecosystems, Darwin declares, “What a fantastic pile of poop.” Millward’s fashionable digital renderings have a sketch-like quality and personify the worms throughout. A fascinating slice of scientific history, the spirited tale concludes with facts and references. Ages 6–9.

Starred review from November 15, 2022
A lively treatment of the No. 2 area of Charles Darwin's interest in the natural world. Fascinated by earthworms, Darwin felt that they had more going for them than Victorian-era science gave them credit for. At that time, worms were considered "pests," so Darwin set out to discover the lowly worm's redeeming feature--its "superpower," in this story's accessible vernacular. First, he tested their eyesight (but discovered they have no eyes), then their hearing (no ears either). He did determine, though, that, in lieu of eyes and ears, a worm's skin has receptors that sense vibrations as well as light and dark. Then Darwin realized that worms have a sense of smell for foods they like. But none of these, he felt, were really the superpower to change people's minds about worms. Quite by accident, Darwin stumbled on the lowly earthworm's superpower, and an amazing one it is--their poop helps make soil healthier, which in turn results in the plants and vegetables people depend on. As instructive as it is amusing, this story matches perky dialogue bubbles and text (narrated by an endearing bespectacled worm in a mortarboard) with winsome illustrations with just enough detail to amplify the storyline, all the while underscoring the significance of Darwin's research. Secondary characters are diverse. (This book was reviewed digitally.) Absorbing and entertaining--sure to have readers gazing at earthworms with a newfound, and deserved, appreciation. (facts about worms, link to the Earthworm Society's website) (Informational picture book. 4-8)

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Starred review from January 1, 2023
Grades 1-3 *Starred Review* Narrated by a genial annelid in academic dress, this lightly embroidered account of Darwin's long search for an earthworm "superpower" offers heaping helpings of biology, earth science, and poop for young readers to savor. In research conducted over the last decades of his life, Darwin discovered that worms have no eyes, ears, or noses but can perceive light and vibrations through their sensitive skin and easily find their favorite foods. More importantly (for us, anyway), through their incessant tunneling and copious waste castings, they play crucial roles in aerating and enriching all the world's soil. In cartoon illustrations, Millward portrays the dapper scientist experimenting with lights, musical instruments, and stinky cheeses in efforts to elicit responses from his squirmy subjects, and at last convincing a gaggle of skeptical or amused onlookers to change their minds about these (as he called them) "lowly, organized creatures" with the publication of his last scientific treatise, The Formation of Vegetable Mould through the Action of Worms. This natural selection for science collections is capped by a set of additional worm facts as well as hazards they face, from pesticides to artificial turf.

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