November 15, 2022
Kindness can beget kindness. When a worm's meal is interrupted by a large "THUMP!" above its head, the worm's subsequent discovery of a large apple elicits fantasies of a delicious apple pie. But this tasty fantasy is interrupted by the arrival of other equally eager bugs looking to partake in the feast. Imagining having to share the pie with the others, the titular greedy worm does what greedy worms do...and eats the entire apple in a gluttonous frenzy. Full of apple-y goodness, the worm resembles a sphere, making it difficult to run and hide when a hungry bird suddenly appears. Instead of letting the greedy worm become the second course, the shortchanged bugs hold back the bird and frighten it off, giving the worm time to consider its poor manners. Using seeds from the apple's core, the worm sets out to grow an apple tree so that all the bugs will have more than enough food to share in the future. It's a fun (almost) wordless story that relies on its graphically bold, doodlelike illustrations to put as much energy and emotions into the bugs as possible. Caregivers and educators will love having emerging readers relay the story to them, and the message is one that readers of all ages will be happy to hear again and again. (This book was reviewed digitally.) A winsome tale sure to worm its way into readers' hearts. (Picture book. 3-6)
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December 12, 2022
When a large red apple falls onto the field above its underground home (“THUMP!”), a pink worm envisions an equally large apple pie that it can have all to itself. But as community-minded bugs approach, each dreaming of a portion, the worm inhales the entire apple (“CHOMP!”), reducing the fruit to its tall, skinny core. Deserted by the devastated insects, the now circular worm is easy pickings for a salivating brown bird that’s even bigger than the apple. When the other insects come to the rescue, delivering a decisive bite to the bird’s tail (“CRUNCH”) that sends it packing, the worm makes amends by planting the apple core’s seeds, ensuring there will be plenty of apples to go around—eventually. Digital artwork by Newman (Found) has the bold, bright fill-in colors and idiosyncratic detail (all the characters sport jaunty hats) that brings to mind birthday party caricatures; the story seems to be taking shape before readers’ eyes. The combination of savory onomatopoeia and eye-popping visual treatment makes a familiar story feel fresh and tasty. Ages 4–8. Agent: Paul Rodeen, Rodeen Literary Management.
January 6, 2023
Grades K-2 Returning to the (almost) wordless, minimalist aesthetic of The Boys (2010), Newman offers a morality tale with a happy, if truncated, ending. Feeling a thump, an earthworm pops out of its burrow to discover a huge fallen apple. Yummy visions of apple pie are spoiled by the arrival of several hopeful-looking buggy friends, so worm rapidly gobbles down all but the apple's jagged core. The sudden arrival of a very large bird leads to a dismaying discovery: the worm is now too fat to zip back underground. The friends unexpectedly return to drive the bird off, and the grateful worm buries the core. Just a page turn later, everyone sits around a picnic table beneath a spreading apple tree. The illustrator kits out his sketchy cartoon creatures (even the bird) with hats and, perhaps as a concession to indicate the passage of time, gives the worm a beard at the end. The narrative consists of just three different words--"Crunch," "Chomp," and "Thump!"--but even younger audiences are unlikely to need help following to the sweet and crunchy conclusion.
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