Science Verse

"Amoeba"
Don't ever tease a wee amoeba
By calling him a her amoeba.
And don't call her a him amoeba.
Or never he a she amoeba.
'Cause whether his or hers amoeba,
They too feel like you and meba.

What if a boring lesson about the food chain becomes a sing-aloud celebration about predators and prey? A twinkle-twinkle little star transforms into a twinkle-less, sunshine-eating-and rhyming Black Hole? What if amoebas, combustion, metamorphosis, viruses, the creation of the universe are all irresistible, laugh-out-loud poetry? Well, you're thinking in science verse, that's what. And if you can't stop the rhymes . . . the atomic joke is on you. Only the amazing talents of Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith, the team who created Math Curse, could make science so much fun.

Author: Jon Scieszka
Publisher: Viking Books for Young Readers
Published: 09/23/2004
Pages: 40
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.25lbs
Size: 11.10h x 11.20w x 0.60d
ISBN: 9780670910571
Audience: Ages 4-8


Award: Beehive Awards - Nominee
Award: Connecticut Book Awards - Nominee
Award: Buckaroo Book Award - Nominee
Award: Louisiana Young Readers' Choice Award - Nominee
Award: Rhode Island Children's Book Awards - Nominee
Award: Parents Choice Award (Fall) (1998-2007) - Winner
Award: Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children's Book Award - Nominee


Review Citation(s):
School Library Journal 06/01/2005 pg. 56
Publishers Weekly 08/02/2004 pg. 70
Booklist 07/01/2004 pg. 1843
Kirkus Review - Children 08/15/2004 pg. 813
Horn Book Magazine 09/01/2004 pg. 574
School Library Journal 09/01/2004 pg. 179
Bulletin of Ctr for Child Bks 11/01/2004 pg. 143
New York Times 11/14/2004 pg. 24
Booklist 12/01/2004 pg. 670
Booksense '76 Childrens Wtr 04 12/01/2004 pg. 1
ALA Notable Children's Books 02/15/2005 pg. 1020
Hornbook Guide to Children 01/01/2005 pg. 51 - Outstanding, Noteworthy In Style
School Library Journal 04/01/2005 pg. 56

About the Author
Multiple award-winning author Jon Scieszka grew up in Flint, Michigan, the second oldest and the nicest of six boys. Jon went to school at Culver Military Academy in Indiana where he was a Lieutenant; Albion College in Michigan where he studied to be a doctor; and Columbia University in New York, where he received an M.F.A. in fiction. He taught elementary school in New York for ten years in a variety of positions. He is the author of many books for children including the New York Times Best Illustrated Book The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales (illustrated by Lane Smith), the Caldecott Honor book The True Story of the Three Little Pigs (illustrated by Lane Smith), and Math Curse (illustrated by Lane Smith). In addition to his work as an author, Jon also runs a web-based literacy program called "Guys Read" that is designed to encourage boys, particularly reluctant readers, to get involved with books. In 2008, Jon was named the country's first National Ambassador for Young People's Literature, a joint effort of the Library of Congress and the Children's Book Council. During his two-year role as Ambassador, he acted as a spokesperson for children's literature, speaking to groups of parents, teachers, and children to encourage the importance of reading. You can visit Jon online at www.jsworldwide.com.