Description
Product Description
From the often Caldecott-buzzed Deborah Freedman, a sweet and funny story about finding your place in the world.
Carl is an earthworm. He spends his days happily tunneling in the soil until a field mouse asks him a simple question that stops him short: "Why?" Carl's quest takes him on an adventure to meet all the animals of the forest, each of whom seems to know exactly what they were put on this earth to do, unlike the curious Carl. But it's not until the world around him has changed that Carl begins to realize everyone, no matter how small, makes a big difference just by being themselves.
From School Library Journal
PreS-Gr 2—Carl is an earthworm who spends his day tunneling through the soil. When a field mouse asks him why he does what he does, Carl realizes that he does not know—but he is determined to find out. Carl visits with Bear, Rabbit, Fox, and others who are aware of their own purposes, but not Carl's. It takes a tiny ground beetle to enlighten him. Nature-inspired watercolor illustrations are gentle and inviting. The text appears in a simple black font, complementing the artwork. When Carl is busy at his job, the text is white against the brown earth and meanders across the pages, following Carl's tunneling track. Tiny black eyes and communicative postures express the attitudes of Carl and the other animals. But on the last page, when Carl finally learns his raison d'etre, readers also see a hint of his satisfied smile. VERDICT This book is a poignant example of the important contributions of even the smallest creature, but it's better than that—it's a science lesson as well. Freedman subtly explains the delicate balance of nature and each creature's role in maintaining it. Carl is an endearing protagonist.—Lisa Taylor, Florida State College, Jacksonville
Review
★ "Her simple storytelling is supported by fabulous illustrations. . . will help youngsters understand the wonder and interconnectedness of nature." —Booklist, starred review
★ "A must-have in all collections!" —School Library Connection, starred review
★ "A poignant example of the important contributions of even the smallest creature.” —School Library Journal, starred review
"A pleasant, simplified examination of the significance of the lowly earthworm, just in time for garden encounters." —Kirkus Reviews
"Inviting readers to think about howthey, like the indomitable Carl, 'help the earth.'" —The Horn Book
From the Author
"Why?" a field mouse asks Carl, a worm who has been busily tunneling underground in this picturebook. "Why do you do that?"
"What am I doing?" and "why?" are questions I often ask myself. Of course, I am not the only person who occasionally ponders the meaning of my work. Is doing what I love, making picture books, too small and self-indulgent? Should I be doing something larger, more "important"? I was paralyzed by existential angst a few years ago, until Carl appeared one day. He arrived, a tiny character tunneling to light, and sweetly he told me, get back to work.
"It may be doubted whether there are many other animals which have played so important a part in the history of the world, as have these lowly organized creatures," Charles Darwin wrote about earthworms in 1883.
Carl attempts to say this: dear readers, you are small, but not lowly, and what you do does matter. One worm cannot make plants grow alone. Our fragile world depends on every single one of us—
—including people who steer books to small people with big questions. Many, many thanks to all of you looking for the best children's books, for doing what you do.
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About the Author
Deborah Freedman (deborahfreedman.net) is a trained architect who now works as an author/illustrator. She is the author of This House, Once, Shy, By Mouse and Frog, The Story of Fish and Snail, Blue Chicken, and Sc