Chapter One Minds Made for Mining What are dwarfs What do they do What do they look like Heigh-ho Heigh-ho It’s off to work we go Dwarfs are hard workers They’re miners Miners dig into the earth They chip into rock They find gems But dwarfs do other jobs They do smithing Smithing means working with metal They make weapons They make supplies They’re experts with their hands They’re very smart They live in mountains They dig through rock They dig caves and tunnels They also live 4
underground They dig down deep They dig underground mazes They spend most of their time mining They collect gold silver and other stones They save their treasures in caves Dwarfs are the engineers of the monster world 5
Explained by Science Dwarfism is a medical condition It refers to having a short build People with dwarfism are usually shorter than 4 feet 1 2 meters Some people with dwarfism have the same size body parts Some people with dwarfism have shorter body parts Dwarfism can be caused by abnormal bone growth Achondroplasia is the most common form of dwarfism It starts at birth About one in 30,000 babies has it They may suffer some health problems But people with dwarfism are smart They have formed groups They want to help each other Science has also created helpful tools for people with dwarfism They have cars clothing furniture and medical tools they are able to use Some dogs have achondroplasia They have short legs Examples are dachshunds basset hounds corgis and bulldogs 6
They live in groups Each group has its own leader Each group also has its own army Dwarfs live together They work together They live for hundreds of years There are more male dwarfs than females They look like humans But they’re shorter They’re about 3 feet 1 meters tall They’re stocky They have a lot of muscles They’re ugly They have big heads They have big hands They have big feet They have humped backs They have pale skin They look old They’re hairy Their hair is white Males have long beards Dwarfs are also called Earth-Men 7
