There Once Was a Very Odd School [Hardcover]

Stephen Krensky (Author), Tamara Petrosino (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 22, 2004 | Age Level: 5 and up | Grade Level: K and up

Just in time for back-to-school book bags, here is a collection of limericks about a very unusual school. From the superjock who is so shy he can barely say hello to the weird teacher whose students are mysteriously turning into statues, readers will laugh themselves silly at all the fun that makes up one very odd school year.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 3-5–Twenty-four limericks depict the strange happenings at an unusual school, including meals that move ("Spaghetti that wriggles?/And Jell-O that giggles?"), a principal with X-ray vision, and an alien teacher who turns unruly students into statues. Unfortunately, the rhymes are often forced and the lines don't always scan well. The colored-pencil cartoons reflect the wackiness of the poems but can't save the weak text.–Doris Losey, Tampa-Hillsborough County Public Library, Tampa, FL
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Gr. 2-5. Krensky offers 24 zany limericks detailing the adventures of students and staff of "a very odd school / That had only one little rule: / There was recess all day / To learn how to play, / Which everyone thought was so cool." Verses conjure a principal with X-ray vision that probes students' brains, cafeteria swill that turns people green, and everyday traumas in the classroom and on the playground. Petrosino's colorful, cartoon-like illustrations extend the humor of the rhymes, sometimes in surprising ways: french fries leaping from their container, smiling spaghetti crawling off the plate, and evil-grinning Jell-O cubes looking ready to attack accompanied by a text that reads, "Spaghetti that wriggles? / And Jell-O that giggles?" As always with limericks, some tricky rhythms will require a little practice before performing out loud, but this makes a great choice for group sharing or for children who are convinced they don't like poetry. Kay Weisman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Dutton Juvenile (July 22, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0525469745
• ISBN-13: 978-0525469742
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 6.3 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,419,338 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars There Once Was a Very Odd School, October 31, 2006

By 

N. Fensch (Mansfield Ohio) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: There Once Was a Very Odd School (Hardcover)

This clever rhyming book is full of delightful laughter and brings a new twist to sometimes monotonous school experiences. The book's bright and colorful illustration adds to the silliness that author Stephen Krensky depicts in his limericks. The focus of the book is on goofy things that kids often dream up, such as a never ending recess or the mystery food served in the cafeteria. This is a great book for adding humor to any classroom reading experience.

4.0 out of 5 stars There Once Was a Very Odd School, March 28, 2006

By 

Karen - See all my reviews

This review is from: There Once Was a Very Odd School (Hardcover)

I thought this book was very funny. I thought its use of limericks was a very good way to get information across. It not only provided the reader with some laughs, it would also provide the audience some good laughs as well. There is some realism in this book, but it always keeps you on your toes. The illustrations went well the book. They go along with the humor. I enjoiyed this book thoroughly.

4.0 out of 5 stars Good Book to Read Aloud, March 27, 2006

By 

Lindsay Banner (Ashland, OH USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: There Once Was a Very Odd School (Hardcover)

There Once was a Very Odd School and Other Lunch Box Limericks is actually a really funny book that needs to be read aloud. The book is full of limericks that talk about school, the good, the bad, and the ugly. Some of the limericks are realistic, like the one about the shy boy at school who is only outspoken during guym. Others are very fictional, like the one about the teacher from another planet who turns students into statues. While the book is not organized in any particular way, the poems are still humorous and would be fun to read all at once, or individually.