The Blood-Hungry Spleen and Other Poems About Our Parts [Hardcover]

Allan Wolf (Author), Greg Clarke (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 3 and up

Ears have drums (but don't play them), knees wear caps (even in church), and a boneless boy turns into a human puddle in this book of wacky—and anatomically accurate—poems about our body parts.

To the left of your stomach, a deep violet-red,
a filter's at work filling blood cells with dread:
The red blood cell graveyard! It's not Halloween.
I'm talking about that blood basher, the spleen.

Have you ever wondered just exactly what some of your body parts do? How many times a year your heart beats?How big your small intestines are? And, equally noteworthy, which of your muscles looks most like a slug? Certain to appeal to elementary-school children, this unique and humorous book uses poetry to explore the amazing workings of our bodies. With great verve and enthusiasm—and plenty of outrageous illustrations—Allan Wolf and Greg Clarke tickle the funny bone in these thirty-four poems while answering some of those deep anatomical questions.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Gr. 3-5. Poems about belly buttons, bones, and brains pepper the pages of this decidedly quirky exploration of human anatomy by a former life science teacher. "Your tongue is for chewing. For curling. For clicking. / It fits in your mouth like a bug in a rug. / Your tongue is for tasting and lollipop licking. / But hey, folks, let's face it. / It looks like a slug!" The 34 poems are uneven, but they are certainly playful in their descriptions of the form and functions of body parts inside and out. Clarke's clever, inventive illustrations depict an anthropomorphized heart beating a drum, tiny humans on rafts navigating the "shy silent rivers" of the circulatory system, and a blood-hungry spleen chasing blood cells with a knife and fork at the ready. Expect giggles at the specific mention of the anus, penis, etc., though these parts are not graphically represented. More fascinating facts and a bibliography conclude this wacky anatomical tribute that reminds us we are all just skeletons inside. Karin Snelson
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

About the Author

"Allan Wolf says he can recite 1,000 poems from memory. He began working on THE BLOOD-HUNGRY SPLEEN while teaching a sixth-grade life-science course. The class created a life-size body chart with a poem for each part, and since then, he says, "the human body has proved to be an infinite universe of poetic inspiration." Allan Wolf lives with his wife and three children. This is his first book.

Greg Clarke says that when he first read this collection, he was drawn to the whimsy of the poetry. About his illustrations, he says, "It was fun to personify body parts and a challenge to figure out how to depict their more delicate functions." Greg Clarke works as an editorial illustrator for magazines.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Hardcover: 56 pages
• Publisher: Candlewick; 1 edition (July 28, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 076361565X
• ISBN-13: 978-0763615659
• Product Dimensions: 11.4 x 7.8 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,315,648 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Allan Wolf is an award-winning children's and young adult novelist, poet, educator, and performer. His novels told in verse include New Found Land: Lewis and Clark's Voyage of Discovery and Zane's Trace. His poetry books include Immersed in Verse, The Blood-Hungry Spleen and Other Poems about our Parts, and More Than Friends: Poems From Him and Her. Allan is former Educational Director for Poetry Alive!, a national touring company that presents theatrical poetry shows for all ages. He lives in Asheville with his wife and three children and can recite hundreds of poems from memory.
http://www.allanwolf.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Why wasn't this published when I was still teaching???, September 8, 2003

By 

DrTerryJ - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Blood-Hungry Spleen and Other Poems About Our Parts (Hardcover)

When I taught school, I was always looking for an entertaining way to trick my students into learning, into becoming inspired, and "The Blood-Hungry Spleen" would have been a huge hit -- if only I was still teaching! Not only is it amusing and educational to young children on a basic level about their anatomy (seriously, did you ever think about spit having a purpose, other than helping you look cool in a dugout?), it helps teachers and parents broach subjects they may have difficulty with. And, yes, very clever poetry!

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A real winner!, August 25, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: The Blood-Hungry Spleen and Other Poems About Our Parts (Hardcover)

This is a gem! So fun, you'd never know how much you're learning (about your body AND different styles of poetry). My favorite poem is "A Sad Tale, or Hey, Who Stole My Seat?" (hint: the illustration is a bandit running away with a derriere tucked under his arm). I encourage you and everyone you know to check it out (an excellent present for any child you know -- and the child in anyone you know -- and appreciatives of fine writing). And these days everyone can use some extra giggles and grins.

5.0 out of 5 stars my son loves it, August 1, 2010

By 

tigress - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Blood-Hungry Spleen and Other Poems About Our Parts (Paperback)

My just-turned-4-year-old absolutely adores this book. No, the writing isn't amazing or original. Most of it is just conveniently rhymed verse. There are, however, a few good, well-written poems in the book. But my son loves every part of it, and I enjoy reading it to him. It's fun and silly. The author is definitely creative and entertaining. So while it's not great literature, it still gets 5 stars from my son and me.