Science Verse

Scieszka, Jon, and Lane Smith ill. Science Verse. New York: Penguin, 2004.

Science Verse, written by Jon Scieszka and illustrated by Lane Smith, is an informational text blended with fantasy and elements of poetry. It’s about a young boy in science class who has been “zapped with a curse of science verse”. The boy narrates through different topics of science that have all been turned into poetry; we learn about metamorphosis to the tune of “I’m a little teapot…” At the end, he wakes up and realizes it was all a dream he’d had as he slept through class.

This book effortlessly draws in the reader through Scieszka’s use of poetry as well as Smith’s enhancing surrealistic illustrations. The topic of science, typically written in a dull manner, has become an engaging and exciting subject for readers of all ages due to Scieszka and Smith’s humorous tone and attention to detail. For example, the young boy’s science teacher is aptly named Mr. Newton and his art teacher, Mr. Picasso. Basically, Scieszka tackles the subject of science using an atypical style of writing for this topic.

In “Skeletal Study” the boy becomes the skeleton. This happens in each illustration, the boy becomes part of the science topic being discussed—seemingly a hidden message from the author that we are constantly immersed in science, even if we don’t realize it or believe it to be irrelevant to our lives. Through creative word choice and complementing illustrations, Scieszka and Smith are able to create a story that captures readers’ attention and provides comic relief.