Review by Booklist 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. The CD that comes with the book includes a reading (sometimes singing) of the verse, along with several poems that didn't make it into the book and some comic byplay between Scieszka and Smith. A beautifully designed book--intelligent, irreverent, inviting, and downright irresistible. --Carolyn Phelan Copyright 2004 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
The "madcap" collaborators responsible for Math Curse "deliver another riotous lesson," PW wrote in a starred review. The duo tackles such topics as evolution, nutrition, atomic structure and even "Santa's Big Sneeze." Ages 4-up. (Sept.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 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 (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
(Primary, Intermediate) Nearly a decade ago, Math Curse (rev. 11/95) introduced a kid whose every thought turned into a mathematical problem. Now things go from ""add"" to ""verse"" as a teacher's comment (""if you listen closely enough, you can hear the poetry of science in everything"") causes a boy to ""start hearing everything as a science poem."" Smith's illustrations -- painterly despite the high camp -- feature the bespectacled, bow-tied narrator trailed by apes in a ""dawn of man"" parade (""Glory, glory, evolution. / Darwin found us a solution""), looking aghast at the inside of his body (""I think that I ain't never seen / A poem ugly as a spleen""), and confronting a monster composed, collage-style, of the additives found in a box of breakfast cereal. The vulnerable figure of the Poindexterish boy-poet provides a unifying focus for Smith's witty diversity of styles. Scieszka's clever verses, which pay subversive tribute to poets such as Edgar Allan Poe, Lewis Carroll, and Robert Frost (""Astronaut Stopping by a Planet on a Snowy Evening""), relate simple scientific concepts about topics such as precipitation, the food chain, and atoms, while demonstrating a neat awareness of how kids think. What grade-schooler won't appreciate ""Dino-sore,"" a poem about a student's boredom over yet another teaching unit on prehistoric creatures? (""Every year the scene repeated. / Third grade, fourth grade, we were greeted / With that torture just completed. / Yes, we've heard of carnivores."") Also included is a CD of Scieszka and Smith reading the verses, comically acknowledging the poets whose work they've lampooned, and reciting a few bonus poems not contained in the book. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
In 1995, Mrs. Fibonacci laid a Math Curse; this year, it's Mr. Newton who says, " . . . if you listen closely enough, you can hear the poetry of science in everything." What follows is a madcap collection of science poetry that lampoons familiar songs ("Glory, glory, evolution") and poems ("Once in first grade I was napping"). The whole lacks the zany unity of its predecessor, opting for an impressionistic tour of scientific terms and principles; the illustrations are less integrated into the text as well, if individually often quite inspired (a set of antiqued nursery rhyme panels are just perfect). Some of the poems rise to the level of near genius (" 'Twas fructose, and the vitamins / Did zinc and dye [red #8]"), while others settle for the satisfyingly gross ("Mary had a little worm. / She thought it was a chigger"). If this offering falls short of the standard set by Math Curse, it will nevertheless find an eager audience, who will hope that the results of Mr. Picasso's curse will soon be forthcoming. (Poetry. 8-12) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
