Winnie Finn, Worm Farmer, by Carol Brendler, pictures by Ard Hoyt
Here's one to keep in mind when selection season rolls around, that is, IF your school does a soil unit, OR a food webs unit, OR plants a garden on school property somewhere, OR teaches about composting. So, yes, that means YOUR school. Certainly MY schools.
Winnie Finn is a worm aficionado. Knows all the funky facts about worms. Would like broader awareness of her area of expertise. Starts thinking about the county fair. Realizes that, no, you can't pin a blue ribbon on a worm... but she can get a share of the prize money by helping her friends and neighbors with their projects.
She constructs a worm composter out of cast-off items, feeds it with table scraps and chicken poop, and soon has rich worm castings, which she gives to the corn farmer in exchange for corn, which she hands over to the chicken lady in exchange for eggs that she passes along to a dog breeder. All three win prizes (tall corn, heavy layers, shiny puppies) and share their winnings with Winnie, who invests in new equipment and is well on her way to becoming a tycoon in the new barter economy we're hearing so much about.
Ard Hoyt's illustrations, are, as usual, lively and fun, with cute details (Winnie's cat is not as enthusiastic about worms as Winnie is). Winnie herself is bright-eyed and tomboyish, but with beads around her neck and a flower on her orange visor. With instructions for building your own worm farm in the back, this book may be shelved as a picture book, but it is well worth remembering as a curriculum support as well.
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