Science Verse (Golden Duck Awards. Picture Book (Awards)) (Hardcover)

~ (Author), (Illustrator) "ON WEDNESDAY in science class, Mr. Newton says, "You know, if you listen closely enough, you can hear the poetry of science in everything..." (more)
Key Phrases: Miss Lucy

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 2-5–In Math Curse (Viking, 1995), a teacher's chance comment causes a girl to see every aspect of her life as a math problem. This time around, the fun starts when a boy hears this remark: "…if you listen closely enough, you can hear the poetry of science in everything." What follows is a series of poems that parody the styles of Joyce Kilmer, Edgar Allan Poe, Lewis Carroll, Robert Frost, and many others, as well as familiar songs and nursery rhymes. "Once in first grade I was napping/When I heard a scary yapping" begins a lament about studying dinosaurs year after year. In "Astronaut Stopping by a Planet on a Snowy Evening," the narrator bemoans the fact that he can't figure out what planet he's on because "In science class I was asleep…." Children need not be familiar with the works upon which the spoofs are based to enjoy the humor, but this is a perfect opportunity to introduce the originals and to discuss parody as a poetic form. The dynamic cartoons are an absolute delight. The expressions on the face of the beleaguered boy keep readers smiling and the pages are chock-full of funny details that are in perfect sync with the poems. Printed in a cream-colored, readable font and set against solid backgrounds, the text is never overwhelmed by the frenetic illustrations. Fans of Scieszka and Smith will be in heaven, but the book will appeal to one and all.–Grace Oliff, Ann Blanche Smith School, Hillsdale, NJ
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

*Starred Review* Gr. 3-5. In this worthy companion to Math Curse (1995), a boy sits in science class listening to his teacher drone on about "the poetry of science," when he is stricken with a "curse of science verse." Every thought comes to him in rhyme, and not just any rhyme, but parodies of famous poems and songs. Not just any parodies, but hilarious ones, particularly for those familiar with the originals, from Kilmer's "Trees" and Poe's "The Raven" to "I'm a Little Teapot" and "Eenie, meanie, mynie, mo." Clever and often droll, the verse ably juggles facts, meter, and rhyme schemes and usually reflects a student's point of view: grossed out by the human body, bored by yet another year of dinosaur study, more concerned about writing down the right answer than getting at the truth. Smith's multimedia collage artwork, incorporating drawings, paintings, and printed materials, is sophisticated yet accessible... A beautifully designed book--intelligent, irreverent, inviting, and downright irresistible. Carolyn Phelan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4-8
  
• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Viking Juvenile (September 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0670910570
• ISBN-13: 978-0670910571
• Product Dimensions: 11.2 x 11.1 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #252,076 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Teach your children the chemical composition of a combustion reaction in verse. Really!, August 19, 2005

By	E. R. Bird "Ramseelbird" (Manhattan, NY) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Elementary school teachers everywhere knew the wonders of the Scieszka/Lane picture book, "Math Curse" and its use in getting kids to get interested in basic mathematical concepts. Nearly a full ten years after the publication of that well-known title, the infamous writer/illustrator pair have returned with a sequel of sorts. Entitled, "Science Verse", the book is a quick look at a variety of chemical, biological, and physical sciences that introduce kids to common terms and (if they read it enough) may even accidentally teach them a fact or two. Parents be warned: If your five-year-old comes walking up to you with this book clasped in their clammy little hands, they may well ask you something along the lines of, "Mom, what's a carbohydrate?" or "Dad, what's a flavored quark?". Better do your research now before they do.

In this book our young balding child hero (seated in class next to the kid from "Math Curse", no less) listens to his teacher saying, "...if you listen closely enough, you can hear the poetry of science in everything". Without further ado, our narrator explains that, "Mr. Newton has zapped me with a curse of Science Verse". What follows is a series of different poems all discussing various scientific aspects of the kinds of things kids learn about in school. Some of these poems will be bigger hits than others. For kids, they're bound to enjoy the quick section neatly titled, "Why Scientists Don't Write Nursery Rhymes" as well as poems talking about the wonders of viruses, metal things touching electrical sockets, and some cute little four line poems that get the point across pronto. Adults will enjoy Scieszka's mighty original take on Lewis Carroll's, "Jabberwocky" or a play on Poe's, "The Raven" that substitutes the familiar "Nevermore" with "Dinosaur". The books ends, much as its predecessor did, with our hero waking up from his scientifically-inspired dream only to hear such dreaded words in his art class as, "Your art project must be your whole life".

Not everyone, as you can no doubt tell by reading other reviews of this book, is particularly pleased with Scieszka's latest creation. Some complain that the poems fail to scan correctly. This is certainly true from time to time. Once in a while this is intentional, but other times it's simply a matter of childlike laziness. Will your kid throw this book to the floor in a huff over a line reading, "A poem that could make you shiver / Like 3.5 pounds of liver"? Perhaps, but somehow I doubt it. If you don't care much for humor, innovative plays on classic poems, or outstanding original illustrations then I suppose the lack of scan would wreak havoc with your reading experience.

The book comes with a cd of Jon and Lane reading the book themselves. Those songs that absolutely must be sung are done so by 2 mysterious and uncredited children. To be frank, most of these poems should've been sung. It's almost painful to hear a poem made to sound like, "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star", read and not warbled. The two guys seem to be having a high old time doing the cd though. They rope in their editor at one point (which, as another reviewer noted, really does make them sound a LOT like the guys on "Car Talk") and put the telephone call on the disk. They comment continually on how one poem resembles this famous one by Julie Ward Howe or that one to Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Play your cards right and this could lead to your children reading the real poems willingly. Educational, to say the least. There's even a track on the cd where Scieszka talks about (and reads) poems that didn't make it into the book. The short four-liners about various scientists may have kids wondering who the heck Marie Curie or Niels Bohr could have been.

I won't tell you that every kid's gonna love this book because it's just not true. Some kids don't like poetry, no matter how well you spruce it up. Others won't touch anything science related with a ten-foot-pole. But for some kids, those who like the natural sciences and are not opposed to literature as well, this book is a bit of a boon. I would've made some changes to it, sure, but all in all it's a strong addition to any library collection (public or personal). Fine writing, fine illustrations, and a fine fun cd that comes with.

23 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars FUN!, January 17, 2005

By	Joe "mama" - See all my reviews

This book is a ton of fun by a couple of very funny and clever guys. Apologies to Daniel Cortesi, who requires that everything he reads be a definitive treatise on something written a century ago, but this book does defy some widely-held poetic constraints. Unfortunately for snobs like Mr. Cortesi, writers are free to express themselves however they like, and need not first cosult the rulebook. In fact, some artists delight in scrapping the rules, as unsettling as that is to old chestnuts like our pompous Mr. Cortesi. If only, I guess, all writers would write in a way with which Mr. Cortesi is comfortable, the way to which he has become accustomed, etc. Personally, "Because It Has Always Been Done That Way" has never been reason, on its own, to do anything. And frankly, I don't get what purpose there is at all in skewering a work of art that you happen not to like. Why not just move on to something that ftis into your very narrow notion of what is worth reading, and leave it be? Why does it need to be panned? I love this book, and my students love it, and so will many other people who haven't got their head stuffed completely up Chaucer's behind.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Science and poetry all rolled up in one? Howwwwww fun!, October 2, 2007

By	J. A. Davis "jadecat" (Northern Michigan) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Okay. First of all, ignore the other reviews that rant about the unevenness of the poetry in here. Whoever said that all poetry must be measured exactly, like a recipe for the perfect peach pie? Lighten up people! Last time I checked, this book was in the children's section. The idea here is to have FUN. You can read this to your little ones, and they may enjoy the crazy little illustrations and such, but I think the older crowd will appreciate it even more. (By older, I'm talking about middle schoolers and high schoolers, but adults will hopefully get the humor in it as well). The more you know your science terms and/or poetry, the more you will laugh! There are some great twists on classic poems like Edgar Allan Poe's "The Raven" and Thayer's "Casey at the Bat". My personal favorite was the section entitled, "Why Scientists Don't Write Nursery Rhymes", particularly the one based on Jack Be Nimble - made my test tubes shake with delight.