The Worm Family Has Its Picture Taken

Emma Worm is embarrassed by her family. The beavers at school look so polished, the cats so fluffy, the butterflies so colorful — and worms, well, worms just wriggle. So she outfits everyone in wigs and fake teeth and costumes for picture day. The plan backfires gloriously when the photographer doesn't recognize them at all. Jennifer Frank's debut is genuinely funny — the kind of funny that works for the child and the grown-up reading aloud — and David Ezra Stein's illustrations bring the worm family to life with warmth and expressiveness that earned him his Caldecott recognition. The honest caveat is that worms-as-protagonists won't win over every squeamish five-year-old, and the 'be yourself' arc is familiar territory. But the execution here is sharp and the ending earns its warmth.