Title: There's a Hair In My Dirt!: A Worm's Story Author: Gary Larson Genre: Children's Literature

Reviewer: Da_Kender

A harrowing tale about a young worm's struggle to understand his ecological niche...a la Larson; the story is about a young worm who is fed up with how his life is as a worm. After a long, loud speech after finding a hair in his dirt, his father decides to tell him a wonderful story about Harriet, a beautiful maiden, and her walk through the forest. She admires nature’s beauty, and saves such defenseless creatures as a baby bird fallen from its nest and a mouse about to be devoured by a snake. Little is she aware of the truths of nature (For example, that the baby bird she saves was in fact supposed to die, to ensure the survival of the rest of them.) The author of this book is Gary Larson, author of "The Far Side," a nation wide syndicated cartoon series. It definitely carries his sardonic sense of humor (keep an eye out for the humorous side drawings in the background of each page), but along with the humor, comes information. Along with the romanticized views on what’s happening in nature (A column of ants tending their babies), Larson delivers the reality (An amazon ant raiding party returning home with its booty). Any person who has ever looked at a Far Side cartoon and smiled will love this book. I enjoyed every second of reading and rereading it. I would recommend this book to just about anyone.