cover image The Adventures of Lowly Worm

The Adventures of Lowly Worm

Richard Scarry. Random House Books for Young Readers, $14 (1pp) ISBN 978-0-679-87248-1

Scarry's big-hearted, sneaker-wearing worm takes center stage in this posthumously published roundup of all-new escapades. At Lowly Worm's side throughout is amiable Huckle the Cat: the two ride the roller coaster at the Busytown Fair, build a ""castle"" out of driftwood on the beach, make a birthday gift for Huckle's mother, spend an eventful day in the big city with the Cat family and visit the hospital after a bicycle mishap injures Lowly. With its peripatetic mini-plots, appealingly cluttered art and unfailing cheerfulness, this is standard Scarry fare, right down to its predictably happy ending, in which Lowly (who thought everyone had forgotten his birthday) is given a surprise party. In both art and text, the humor strikes an admirable balance of the understated and the obvious. Kids will chuckle at the portrayal of the interior of a restaurant called Noodle's, where pasta is draped everywhere--even over the waitress, in place of her hair; and at the ludicrously large cast that covers the wounded worm's all-important single ``foot.'' Ages 3-8. (Apr.)