Lindsey Leigh is an expert in the astonishing world beneath our feet, as demonstrated in her previous picture books, which delved into places such as caves and the ocean. Now, she beckons readers into The Dirt!: Wild Life Under the Soil’s Surface, a superbly witty and informative exploration of what’s going on underground and why it matters.
As Leigh illustrates in playful and vibrant comic-style art, a universe of animals and creepy-crawlies lives below us, all vital to healthy soil—which is itself necessary for the well-being of the Earth and all of its inhabitants. She explains, “The soil is a whole ecosystem (a network of connecting organisms and their environment)” that is forever “helping us grow our food and supporting forest and flowering plants that keep our air clean. And the animals that live in the soil help keep it healthy.”
From teeny-tiny beasties to “big burrowers,” Leigh introduces readers to an astonishing range of dirt dwellers. Microflora and microfauna like bacteria, protozoa and viruses exist in soil. So do nematodes, or roundworms, which “make up 80 percent of all animal life on earth!” They’re “the width of a human hair,” but Leigh zooms in so readers can see a hilarious “Lady and the Tramp”-esque illustration of a springtail and flatworm enjoying “a bountiful noodley [nematode] buffet.”
Leigh’s language and art is similarly fact-filled and funny on every page of The Dirt! as she describes mites, worms, cicadas, prairie dogs and owls, to name just a few. She covers tardigrades, slime molds and algae, and points out a handy mouthpart resembling a cheese grater that’s common to snails and slugs. Moles make multiple charming appearances, popping up to exclaim “Nothing beats burrowing!” and “I love hummus!” (alas, Leigh’s actually referring to humus).
Curious sorts of all ages will revel in The Dirt! and its enthusiastic support of the notion that soil is something to explore, respect, preserve and celebrate. We are all connected, and this fascinating, cheerful story reveals that’s even truer than most of us know.