Lobiecki. The Prairie that Nature Built

The Prairie that Nature Built is a children's book by Marybeth Lobiecki, with art by Cathy Morrison, published in 2014. It is available at the Internet Archive.

Here is a YouTube read-along:

The story is told with long lines and rhymes from the start as the chain accumulates: These are the critters that worm and squirm / Alive in the dirt so dark and thick under the prairie that nature built.

There are some couplets that are inserted in the story, separate from the chain, as you can see here: Some of these critters squirm so small / Without a glass, you can't see them all. / But they are big eaters, and builders too, / Making good earth from animal poo.

Then come the roots and the plants, then the insects and birds, then grazers, and hunters (like fox and wolf), and then lightning that sparks fire, and then rain. The plants begin to grow again... and then here comes a child taking a walk, accompanied by a dog, with a chain of short lines to end the story.

Afterwards, there is a "Prairie Primer" with ecological information and resources to explore.