My grateful thanks to Kirsten Knight for sending me a copy of children’s book Harriet’s Hungry Worms by Samantha Smith and Melissa Johns in return for an honest review. I’m delighted to share that review today.
Published by EK Books on 9th May 2023, Harriet’s Hungry Worms is available for purchase here.
Harriet’s Hungry Worms
This funny, engaging eco story invites young readers to follow the adventures of Harriet’s ravenous compost worms as they munch their way through their wide and wonderful weekly menu.
Packed with worm facts, Harriet’s Hungry Worms is the ideal companion for worm warriors and curious composters keen to roll their sleeves up and put their kitchen food scraps to good use.
My Review of Harriet’s Hungry Worms
Harriet is feeding the worms.
I’m beginning to realise that any EK children’s book is a real delight. As with other EK books I’ve reviewed, Harriet’s Hungry Worms is beautifully produced with a real feeling of quality in its robust cover, smooth pages and perfect size for sharing in the home or school.
Harriet’s Hungry Worms is absolutely smashing. The illustrations bring alive a lovely ecological story that is filled with important information and is inspirational so that young children are bound to want their own wormery as a result of reading this book. Children learn how to create the best environment for worms and will adore the concept of using ‘worm poo’ and ‘worm wee’ to make vegetables grow. Indeed, the illustrations have a real feeling of ecology with earthy browns and greens that reflect the subject matter, giving a feeling of coherence that is so satisfying.
Aside from the brilliant wormy details, Harriet learns other skills such as responsibility as she feed the worms, and patience, because her siblings Fred and Sally seem to have better pets in the dog and the chickens, until she realises the usefulness of worms.
There’s a superb balance of text to image with perfect modelling of speech for emergent writers in Harriet’s Hungry Worms and the use of upper case letters for emphasis so that reading Harriet’s Hungry Worms provides a highly useful template. The language in the story is accessible for young independent readers too. Very young children have days of the week reinforced and the alliteration between the days and the way the worms eat is huge fun.
I also loved the facts and worm diet at the back of the book and could see this as the catalyst for further research.
Harriet’s Hungry Worms is a delight. It’s fun, informative and beautifully presented. I thought it was lovely.
About Samantha Smith
Samantha Smith lives in Melbourne with her three junior co-authors, an adopted cat, nine-hundred and ninety-seven compost worms and an impressive pumpkin vine that’s slowly taking over the backyard. As a lover of all things green, she completed doctoral research exploring young people’s relationship with the environment and how to encourage positive behaviour change. Harriet’s Hungry Worms is her first eco picture book, and she’s hoping it will inspire young worm warriors to roll up their sleeves and put their food scraps to good use.
You’ll find Sam on Instagram and can visit her website for further information.
About Melissa Johns
Melissa Johns is an artist, illustrator, an avid upcycler and a closet poet. She produces artworks predominantly made of recycled materials that lend her work a uniquely whimsical quality. Melissa is passionate about her family, her artistic creations and stimulating young minds through art and literature. Melissa has also illustrated Growing Pains and Tabitha and the Raincloud, both for EK Books.