Earth: The Science of Soil (Wonder World #1)

“Mucky, wormy, squirmy soil” takes the spotlight in Lerwill and Le’s appreciative scientific tribute. Presenting soil as “the world’s skin,” lively prose pivots to the life being supported, including “400 billion billion” worms, “thousands and thousands of other creepy-crawlies,” and “stringy strands of fungi.” Questions (“And what else lives underground?”) and ellipsis-capped statements support topic transitions (“Soil gives us our food too...”) as summary broadens out into hearty recognition of soil’s many jobs supporting ecosystems and human infrastructure: “Without soil, the world simply wouldn’t be the world.” Two backpack-clad, magnifying glass–wielding children—one portrayed with brown skin, the other with pale skin—loosely guide sunny visual storytelling, emphasizing curiosity-led exploration. Amid jewel-toned microbes, the kids sit atop a microscope; elsewhere, tiny critters illuminate a nutrient cycle. Throughout, rough-edged brightly chalk-like renderings suggest ecological diversity and abundance. The effect is an exuberant send-up to the “muddy, magical, marvelous miracle” underfoot. Ages 4–8. (Mar.)