Book Review by Kathleen Mitchell, LA County Outdoor Science
School
Reprinted from the Fall 1999 Southern AEOE Newsletter
Gary Larson is at it again with a twisted natural history lesson told as a fairy tale. This story puts in print how naturalists talk about nature when children are not around. Side by side stories contrast the beautiful young maiden’s naive love of nature with the hard realities of how ecosystems function.
The scene opens with the worm family at the dinner table. The little worm son is horrified by the sight of a hair in his dirt! Father worm tells the story of the young maiden and her adventures in the forest. The story ends happily (if you are a worm) and renews the young worm’s appreciation for his important role in nature.
At the last statewide conference, I heard one of the Outdoor Schools did a great skit based on this book. The next week, one of our favorite visiting teachers brought this book up as a present for the staff. I don’t know that I would read this book to 5th graders during an Outdoor School week but I know you are going to love There’s a HAIR in My Dirt!