Timothy the worm by Helen Reynolds

Illus. by Natasha Hagarty. Little Steps Publishing, 2019. ISBN: 9781925839036.
(Age: 4+) Worms, Recycling. Timothy the worm has lived all his life in a compost bin at the bottom of the garden, where the gardener keeps him happy, piling his garden scrapes into the bin. One day adventurous Timothy decides to leave his comfortable bin and explore the world outside. In so doing he finds there are faeries in the garden, and a red eyed creature tells him that he watches over the faeries in the garden, and gives him permission to be there as well, offering to help him meet his friends. Timothy spends the day with the faeries and other creatures that live in the garden and when he goes back home to his compost bin, he has a lot to tell the other worms who live there with him.
Some of the offerings from this bespoke publishing house (Little Steps) have been impressive with their illustrations, layout, design and text. But Timothy the worm fails to meet the same standard. The author has missed the opportunity to focus on Timothy and his composting role, while the layout intrudes with a larger amount of text than usual in a picture book, and offered in a small font.
For a class looking at the role of composting or of worms this may prove a useful introduction to the theme, and will encourage readers to look further for more information.
Fran Knight