THE VERY TRUE LEGEND OF THE MONGOLIAN DEATH WORMS

A family of Mongolian death worms attempts to right their reputation.

Mongolian death worms are notoriously “the most terrifying and deadly creatures.” Legend has it they are even poisonous and capable of releasing electric shocks in dry atmospheres. With their pointy teeth and unsettling mouths, which appear perpetually open and drip with green drool, a family of four death worms brainstorms ideas in an effort to improve their unfortunate optics and change the minds and hearts of their Gobi Desert–dwelling neighbors. Maybe name tags or snazzy outfits will appear welcoming. And everyone loves cupcakes, right? Each attempt to impress the neighbors fails, but when a natural disaster strikes, their inherent skills as Mongolian death worms prove heroic. Fay’s story of a hopeful family of unsightly death worms addresses common themes, including the battling of preconceived notions and accepting others. The worms, with their googly eyes and expressive faces, communicate in short quips via comics-style speech bubbles, enhancing the book’s lighthearted tone. The illustrations, produced with potato prints and watercolors, depict the death worms in textured pinks (with lime-green drool), juxtaposed against the neutral palette of the desert setting and the cool tones of the other animals who live there. Brief backmatter with source notes gives readers some context for the legend of the Mongolian death worm and notes scientific debate about the creatures’ existence. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

A humorous story of the importance of seeing past first impressions.