Dig In!

by Cindy Jenson-Elliott, Mary Peterson (Illustrator)

Overview

Dig in to this vibrant picture book that celebrates all the surprises found down in the dirt!

I dig in the dirt...and find a seed.
Seed waits.
I dig in the dirt...and find a spider.
Spider runs.

Explore all of the creepy, crawly, dirty, muddy, green, and growing things that can be found outside in the garden. From pill bugs to worms to leafy green sprouts, young readers will love discovering the muddy garden habitat within the pages of this book—and outside in their own backyards!

This sweet and playful celebration of outdoor exploration is a perfect read aloud for story time.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781442412613
Publisher:	Beach Lane Books
Publication date:	03/01/2016
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	798,625
Product dimensions:	8.20(w) x 10.40(h) x 0.30(d)
Lexile:	AD130L (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Cindy Jenson-Elliott is the author of the celebrated Weeds Find a Way illustrated by Carolyn Fisher. She is a freelance writer for a variety of newspapers, magazines, and educational publishers, as well as a teacher and natural history instructor. She has an MA in education, and she enjoys spending time outdoors in San Diego, California, where she lives with her family. Visit her at CindyJensonElliott.com.

Mary Peterson was born and raised in Iowa on a small family farm surrounded by cornfields and lots of animals. Those early years in the company of critters large and small continue to provide inspiration for her art. She is the illustrator of many books for children and lives in Los Angeles, California.

Editorial Reviews

01/01/2016
PreS-Gr 1—A young child is the catalyst of events when playing in the dirt during a beautiful day. Initially, the child digs and discovers a worm. A rock, then a pill bug, a seed, a spider, and a sprout all make an appearance. Add some water to the mix, and the child creates mud to begin another exciting adventure. Nonverbal characters also come into play; the worm plays an interested role when reviewing its surroundings and shows alarm when the rock blocks its entryway. Illustrations, created using linoleum block prints on paper with some digital touches, place the dirt in center view so the focus often remains on the child's hands. Hints of what is to come, such as the packet of radish seeds strewn about, add a sense of wonder and celebration of the natural world. Brief phrases accentuate the necessity of both action and waiting. "I dig in the dirt…/and find a seed./Seed waits./I dig in the dirt…/and find a spider./Spider runs." VERDICT Here's a sunny offering of the fun waiting to be explored just beneath the earth's surface.—Meg Smith, Cumberland County Public Library, Fayetteville, NC

School Library Journal

2015-12-08
An exploration into the dirt uncovers worms, pill bugs, seeds, and more. An eager child is planting some seeds and seedlings into a plot of earth. The digging uncovers a worm. "Worm wiggles." More digging produces a rock. "Rock sits." Still more digging uncovers a pill bug that curls, a seed that waits, a spider that runs, and a sprout that grows. Our intrepid gardener keeps digging, placing plants into the ground, watering them, and making mud in the process. The spare, repetitive text is appropriate for the audience, but it leads to an unfortunate lack of clarity regarding whether the child is finding some of the objects in the dirt—the seeds and sprouts, for example—or placing them there. The illustrations, done with linoleum block prints on paper with digital touch-ups, feature close-ups of the child's hands and the soil being dug. The critters unearthed, even the worm and spider, appear friendly, and some strategically placed birds and flowers add welcome pops of color. Use this one to talk to preschoolers about what's in the ground and encourage them to find their own plot of earth to explore. (Picture book. 2-5)

Kirkus Reviews