Worm on the Job

Gr 1-3–A humorous story about being able to do anything if one sets one’s mind to it. An adorable pink worm has been a head librarian and has read every book. Now it’s time for a new adventure. He tries out many jobs, but they’re not quite right. He is drawn to a job as a security guard but finds that no one thinks he can do it. The good news is that Worm is incredibly creative in how he can succeed. A plain worm proves himself to be the best security guard. The story includes puns but isn’t over the top. The dialogue is amusing and would be great for a read-aloud. The joy of this book is that Worm’s shapelessness allows him to contort into funny positions, tie himself up, and pretend to be random items. Grand illustrations capture such different expressions. Hammond uses the size difference between the worm and his tiny accessories to the real people in the story in a way that increases the comedy of the story. The characters are drawn as stereotypical villains, HR managers, and ­incompetent applicants, which makes it easy to find a voice for each character and adds to the adventure. The details of the ­Invention Convention, where Worm works, plus the individual movements of the worm keep readers engrossed in every page. ­