Repeat Repeat Repeat

It usually appears out of nowhere.  Perhaps, a specific smell signals it.  A word or phrase may awaken it.  A few notes from another melody can revive it.  However it arrives, it is here to stay, refusing to leave.  It soundlessly follows you everywhere, sometimes for hours (or more).

At first, you allow it to play in your mind.  You may even hum along with it.  And, as hard as it is to say, you soon find yourself dancing.  In Ear Worm! (Candlewick Press, January 25, 2022) written by Jo Knowles with illustrations by Galia Bernstein, a worm, a tiny youngster of a worm, has a song firmly fixed in his mind.  He is puzzled by its appearance.  How did it get there?

One summer day, Little Worm went out to play and

discovered he had a song stuck in his head.

"Shimmy shimmy, no-sashay,

shimmy shimmy, no-sashay!"

he sang as he wriggled along.

Meeting his first friend of the day, Little Worm was told by Owl the meaning of an ear worm.  Of course, Little Worm thought that name was hilarious.  When he asked Owl if he put the song in his head, Owl said no.  He had his own song which he proceeded to sing.  There might have been some wing waving involved.

These two demonstrating their ear worm antics next met Chipmunk.  Chipmunk did not give the ear worm to Little Worm.  Chipmunk performed an equally original song and dance.  As the trio sang and moved to their own music, Bunny gently inquired about their songs and dances.  Little Worm was seeking answers and Bunny had her own answer.  Little Worm was feeling a tad bit discouraged.

Fox strolled onto the scene, sharing another different song and dance.  Now, there were five songs and five dances.  It was as if the members of an orchestra decided to stand up and dance their parts!  It was a party of happy-go-lucky participants!

Soon, Little Worm's father called him home for his nap.  Papa Worm wrapped Little Worm in his bed. Then, Papa Worm said . . .

In a lively blend of narrative and dialogue, author Jo Knowles introduces us to Little Worm and his four forest friends.  Little Worm's question to each friend and their subsequent response supply us with a rousing cadence.  Jo Knowles's use of alliteration and rhyming are an open invitation for reader participation.  You can't read this story without humming or singing or dancing or all three!  Here is a passage.

"That's not it at all," said Little Worm.  "But I like your moves!"

"Thank you," said Chipmunk.  "Mind if I join your search?"

"Fine by me," said Little Worm.

So:

"CHEE

CHEE,

CHITTER-EE!

"WAVE, WAVE, TALK to THE WING!"

and

"Shimmy shimmy, no-sashay!"

they went along.

Do you feel something happening to you when you look at the front of the matching dust jacket and book case?  That something is spreading from the tip of your toes to the top of your head and it is sheer happiness.  Look at Fox, Owl, Chipmunk, Little Worm and Bunny.  Every single one of them are grooving to their own music, their own special ear worm.  Their body postures and facial expressions here, and throughout the book, portray camaraderie and cheer.  The title text and musical notes are varnished on the dust jacket.

To the left of the spine on the jacket and case is a canvas of white.  (White is used wonderfully throughout the book to highlight and elevate the characters, their expressions, and movements.) The text reads:

Who put that song in

Little Worm's head?

Little Worm is singing his tune next to two yellow daisies. 

On the opening and closing endpapers in pink hues on pink is a pattern of Little Worm in all his various dance moves.  His wide eyes and smiling face are a superb hello and goodbye for this book.  Prior to the title page, Little Worm is alone on a background of pristine white.  On the title page in the lower, right-hand corner is a clump of blades of grass.  The title text is spelled by Little Worm.  He twists and turns his body for each letter and the exclamation point.  

With each page turn, the artwork of Galia Bernstein, digitally rendered, welcomes us into the world of Little Worm and his friends.  Each animal, by their stance, reflects their characteristics.  They are highly animated, especially when they start to dance to their original ear worm.  The animals are brought close to the reader.  There is little more than them on a white canvas except when Little Worm first meets them.  A pine bough is next to Owl, an acorn is near Chipmunk, Bunny stands by two yellow daisies, and Fox is near blades of grass like Little Worm.  Readers will delight in seeing what Papa Worm uses to clean their home.

One of my many favorite illustrations is actually three smaller ones on a single page.  It shows Owl doing three more dance steps after the first display of a leg lift and wing spreads.  In the first one, Owl extends both wings forward as one leg kicks back.  In the second one, Owl bends back with both wings and one leg extended back.  In the final move, Owl is slightly bowed with one wing extended up and the other bent to cover his face.  Little Worm watches from the lower, right-hand corner.  (I can guarantee story time listeners might stand up and start to dance at this point.)

You will never feel the same way again about getting an ear worm after reading this book, Ear Worm! written by Jo Knowles with illustrations by Galia Bernstein.  The upbeat words and illustrations are a boogie-woogie dance delight that will have listeners begging you to read it repeatedly.  This would make a wonderful reader's theater.  I highly recommend this title for your personal and professional collections.

To learn more about Jo Knowles and Galia Bernstein and their other work, please follow the link attached to their names to access their websites.  Jo Knowles has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.  Galia Bernstein has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter.  Jo Knowles wrote a guest post at the Nerdy Book Club about this title for the cover reveal.  At the publisher's website you can download a teacher's guide.  At Penguin Random House you can view interior images.

(My curiosity got the better of me.  I found an article about ear worms, Your Brain on Music: Earworms, The Kennedy Center.) 

What Remains True?

Very early Sunday morning a string of storms brought noise and rain to our area for hours.  This provided the ultimate opportunity to read wrapped in a blanket on the couch.  Soon the sounds of the showers and thunder and flashes of lightning faded into the background as a book was started and consumed, cover to cover in one sitting.

All lifelong readers have toppling stacks or shelves filled with books to be read.  Sometimes books call to you immediately but you wait to read them letting the anticipation build, knowing they will be filled with something powerful and memorable.  This is the way it was with Jo Knowles new middle grade title, Still A Work In Progress (Candlewick Press, August 2, 2016).

"I am not afraid of Molly Lo," Ryan tells me from inside the stall of the boys' bathroom.  He refuses to use the urinal, just like everyone else.

"Then why are you hiding in the bathroom?" I ask.

"She's stalking me," he says.  "Stalkers make me nervous."

With those five sentences we are whisked into the world of seventh grader Noah and his two best friends, Ryan and Sam.  Very quickly we are introduced to other students in this small New England school, Lily, Belle, Small Tyler and Big Tyler and their social studies teacher, Mr. Sticht, nicknamed Tank.  Initially they are addressing the fairly common but gross problem of what is causing a revolting odor in Small Tyler's locker.

Later the entire school gathers for their once-a-week Community Meeting where we meet Ms. Cliff the principal and art teacher, Mrs. Phelps, the science teacher with knock-you-dead breath, Madame Estelle, the French and math teacher and Mr. Marshall, the English teacher.  The most interesting member of this new cast of characters is Curly, the school pet, a hairless cat who wears an assortment of vests to keep warm.  What prompts these meetings and what keeps the discussions lively is the Suggestion Box.

By the end of the first chapter we are given a single sentence hinting at events to come.  Noah's older sister, a vivacious, nearly-perfect-in-every-way and determined vegan, Emma is the reason behind the unease readers begin to feel and the Thing We Don't Talk About.  While conversations at school are about girls, dating and the school dance; conversations at home revolve family meals and wondering if Emma is okay.

This year is when Noah's star starts to shine as his gift for sculpting with clay and drawing are noticed and praised by Ms. Cliff.  It's in art class when Noah feels the best as his concerns drift away.  This lasts until during winter break on Christmas Eve.  As Noah, his mom and dad wait for Emma so they can leave for church, their worst fears are confirmed.

For months with no sure end in sight Noah and his parents try to swim through worry, sadness, helplessness and guilt.  Noah's emotional turmoil reaches to his friends, classmates and the staff at his school.  It's a time when people try to be the best they can, not always sure what to say or do.  It's all part of being human.  It's when true friends and family remain true.


Jo Knowles must be the ultimate observer of human nature because she gets it supremely right in the pages of this book.  As an educator in middle school for several decades, I can honestly say her portrayals are refreshingly genuine and brimming with humor.  Although the struggles of Noah, Emma and his parents are heartbreaking, Knowles nevertheless uses humor here too in the beginning to show us how this family can be when they are at their best.  The school cat, Curly, and the family dog, Captain, are the comfort and comic relief the characters and readers need.

Noah's thoughts, his point of view, and the conversations with friends, classmates and family members will envelope you with all the emotions of the moment. We are very personally involved in this story.  As each individual grows and changes, we can't help but assess how we might be in a similar situation.

Each chapter begins with a heading as if it's a suggestion from the school's box.  This leads us into the dialogue and events within that section of the book.  Knowles ends the chapters with a thought to ponder, a link to what follows.  Here are a few passages from the book.

When he tosses it in, an even stronger smell hits me all at once, and I stagger backward into Max, who staggers into Lily.  We are like dominoes falling into one another and gasping, eyes watering.  I try to think of a worse smell but can't, and that's saying something.  There are three things I can think of off the top of my head.  A dead mouse whose smell spread through the whole school the day the heat kicked in for the first time in the fall.  Tyler Gingritch's farts after his parents had a chili-contest party in October and he wandered through the school leaving gas in every room just to torture us all, and then Zach Bray and Max Fitzsimmons, who were also at the party, formed a group called the Fart Squad and went around leaving stink bombs right before class. And finally Mrs. Phelps's coffee breath, better known as Death Breath.  It fills the science room every morning and makes even Miranda-with-the-Always-Stuffed-Up-Nose gag.
This is the smell of a thousand dead mice.  A million Fart Squad bombings.  And worse than a fan blowing Mrs. Phelps's Death Breath straight into your mouth.

The girls' room is like a mystery cave to the boys.  All we know is that it smells like twenty kinds of body spray vying for air domination.  You literally taste it when you walk by the door.

"What's that smell?" Belle asks.
Sam and I look at Ryan. He could say it's him and maybe gross Molly out.  But instead he points to the sandwich like a traitor.
"What?" Sam says.  "I think it smells good."
"What kind of sandwich is that?" Lily asks, wrinkling her nose.
Sam sighs. "Liverwurst and onions.  With mustard."
"Gross," Belle says.  "No offense."
It seems like we all say "No offense" a lot around Sam.
"My grandfather used to make those!" Molly leans forward and sniffs.  "Can I have a bite?"
Sam looks shocked.  "Really? Yeah!" He hands it over and she takes a huge bite, nodding as she chews.
"Oh, yeah," she says through a mouthful.  "Mmmm."  She smiles at Sam as if this is the first time she's noticed him.  "He made these for me whenever I visited him."
Molly hands what's left of the sandwich back to Sam, who smiles at her dreamily.
Ryan watches them in disbelief as they fall in love over a liverwurst sandwich.


With the eloquence and precise care of a master photographer Jo Knowles gives us rare and rich glimpses into Noah's life and times during his seventh grade year with her words in Still A Work In Progress.  You will read this book in great gulps until you have finished, then you will go back and reread favorite portions.   Some are full of laugh-out-loud hilarity and others with deep clarity and moving impact.

To learn more about Jo Knowles and her other work please follow the link attached to her name to access her website.  Here is a link to Jo Knowles blog.  You can read nearly four chapters at this publisher's website.  At the Candlewick Press website in addition to several chapters for reading, there is a discussion guide.  I think you will like this conversation at the Nerdy Book Club between Jo Knowles and Kate Messner about their two new titles and the subject matter in each.  Enjoy the videos.