The Adventures of Inch Worm Willie

Deborah Dowson is a children’s librarian in Pickering, Ontario.

Willie, a little green worm, is told by the ants that all humans are
nasty creatures. Curious to discover whether this is indeed true, he
seeks them out. Soon he finds a sickly young girl who has the power to
speak with insects and animals, and he befriends her. When she dies,
Willie is told that she has “gone to the garden.” He looks
everywhere for this garden, until he becomes exhausted and rolls into a
ball. Willie is then carried off by a butterfly to the eternal garden
for children, to be with his friend forever.

Though Willie’s compassionate characteristics are to be commended,
this book is a personal work with a personal message that is not suited
for a general audience. Furthermore, the text is laborious to read, the
sketches are basic at best, and the book’s production is of extremely
poor quality. Not recommended.