ACHUKA Book of the Day 22 Sep 2026
Publisher: Holiday House
ISBN: 9780823463930
See also by Marianna Coppo:
The Best Bad Day Ever [ACHUKA Book of the Day 7 Aug 2023]
Fish And Crab [ACHUKA Book of the Day 24 Mar 2023]
“This funny, generous, and profound tale delivers hard truths in a way young readers can hold onto.” PublishersWeekly
“A multitude of books on dying exist, but few dare to speak of it so honestly with the youngest of readers. A strange, sweet, sad paean to the cycle of life and every living thing’s place in it.” KIRKUS
“Coppo’s hyper-simplistic expressions alongside Duff’s disavowal of exclamation points in either silly or serious moments (“Now I gotta get my wriggle on”) showcase their combined artistic restraint and confidence. Perhaps the funniest element here, however, is Frank’s mafia-boss tone, cocky, if not outright bored, while threatening to turn someone into nutrients for the soil.” MUSE
A worm and a dinosaur grapple with the circle of life in this hilariously macabre longform picture book.
Every life has a beginning and an end, and if we’re lucky, we make a few true friends along the way.
And hopefully those friends won’t eat us. But you never know.
When a dinosaur’s misplaced step flattens Frank the worm’s friend, Frank takes the loss in stride. He and his buddies will eat the poor guy— that’s what worms do. They eat dead things and return them to the soil. Someday, Frank’s descendants will even eat the dinosaur.
But before it comes to that, there’s plenty of time to get to know each other. Even if neither can ultimately protect the other from the world’s slings and arrows, the unlikely friendship makes life worthwhile.
A masterclass in dark humor, the book closes in a life-affirming catharsis it very much earns. Readers of all ages will return often to laugh, cry, and relish every page. Mortality has never been such fun.
Follow Rome-based, Italian illustrator Marianna Coppo (who studied illustration at MiMaster in Milan and children’s literature at the Accademia Drosselmeier in Bologna) on Instagram:
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Follow David Duff there too:
https://www.instagram.com/dufffiction/