The Worm Who Knew Karate by Jill Lever and Terry Denton
Debut author meets Australia’s bestselling illustrator in this comical story with a great message about resilience.
Brian is a happy-go-lucky worm who suddenly spirals into panic when he learns of the phrase: ‘The early bird catches the worm.’ Being an early riser, Brian decides he must taken serious action in order to avoid capture! So he takes a bus into town and signs up for karate lessons. Of course, karate would be fairly challenging for a delicate, tube-shaped invertebrate, and soon Brian begins to feel that his efforts are for nothing. Fortunately, his karate master points out that the spirit of karate is in working hard and never giving up. Brian leaves with a sense that he can now defend himself, and return to his tranquil life in a window-box.
Brian is a terrific advocate for self-belief and perseverance. Jill Lever’s story is simple but effective and Terry Denton’s energetic illustrations are great fun. Both the tone and the balance of word and pictures make this an ideal pre-Treehouse book for new readers.