Diary of a Worm, Diary of a Spider,
and Diary of a Fly
Diary of a Worm and
the
subsequent Diary of a
Fly and Diary
of a Spider are guaranteed
favorites in many elementary classrooms! Each
book presents slice-of-life vignettes about life as a worm, a fly, or
a spider--all written in diary format. Kids will love seeing the
creatures in familiar settings, like the school room, on
the
playground, playing games with friends, etc. The humor is so clever,
you'll be laughing aloud as well. And Bliss's funny illustrations are a
perfect match. Definitely a series to have!
Diary of a Worm
A cute cartoon worm in a baseball cap describes his everyday life in
small,
hilarious entries that provide a worms-eye view of the world (ie:
having no arms, dodging people digging for bait...) Kids will want to
hear this one over and over, plus see it up close look at
every detail. A School Library Journal Best Book, International Reading Association Children's Choice Book and a Parents' Choice Silver Honor Recipient.
Reading Level:
Interest
Level: Preschool - Grade 3
Guided Reading Level: K
DRA Level:
18
Lexile Measure: AD510L
Diary of a Spider
Spider is a friend of worm's and makes appearances in worm's diary, so this book's a natural sequel. This time the reader is treated to diary entries about life as a spider (ie: vacuum drills at school, bringing your molted skin to school for show and tell, etc.)
Like the other books in the series, this story is just perfectly paired
with more great Harry Bliss illustrations!
Reading Level:
Interest
Level: Preschool - Grade 3
Guided Reading Level: N
DRA Level:
30
Lexile Measure: AD510L
Diary of a Fly
Worm has a diary, spider
has a diary...now it's time for fly--the last
of the three friends--to have a diary as well! As with the others, this
book is formatted into hilarious, brief diary entries that speak of the
perils and joys of growing up as a fly, each paired with fun
cartoon illustrations. Fans of this series will absolutely want this one too! We think it's actually our favorite of the three. :)
Reading Level:
Interest
Level: Preschool - Grade 3
Guided Reading Level: L
DRA Level: 20
Lexile Measure: AD490L
Read-Aloud vs. Individual Reading:
For kids in preschool, Kindergarten, and first grade, this book
will need to be a read-aloud rather than for individual reading, as the
reading level will be too high for the vast majority of them. (Some first graders may be able to read this book, more so at the end of first grade, but the reading level for this book will still be too difficult for most first graders, even at the end of first grade.) Most second graders and third graders should be able to read this one on their own, although most second graders will need extra support at the beginning of the year.
See Inside the Diary of a Worm series:
Below
are sample spreads from inside each of these books. All are so adorable, and hopefully you can read the text to get an idea of the clever and funny story line and journal format. The first spread show here is the first two spreads from inside Diary of a Worm.
And here are some sample pages from Diary of a Spider:
And lastly, sample pages from Diary of a Fly:
Diary of a Worm Lesson / Activity Ideas:
Harper Collins, the publisher of this adorable series, has created a very detailed teacher's guide for the book Diary of a Worm. It's full of activities to extend the fun and learning. And some of the activities can be adapted to the other books in this series.
To
access the PDF, click here: Diary of a Worm Lesson / Activity Ideas
