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Spectacular Science: A Book of Poems
Lee Bennett Hopkins and Virginia Halstead combine charming poems with vivid illustrations to share the beauty of the subject of science.
Spectacular Science shows that science is not a dry subject at all, but that it is a way of looking at the world. With sensitivity and wonder, new poets explore biology, chemistry, physics, and more.
Lee Bennett Hopkins combines the intriguing voices of a variety of poets with Virginia Halstead’s fanciful illustrations, creating a thought-provoking collection that makes science accessible, intriguing, and fun.
Spectacular Science shows that science is not a dry subject at all, but that it is a way of looking at the world. With sensitivity and wonder, new poets explore biology, chemistry, physics, and more.
Lee Bennett Hopkins combines the intriguing voices of a variety of poets with Virginia Halstead’s fanciful illustrations, creating a thought-provoking collection that makes science accessible, intriguing, and fun.
40 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1999
2 people are currently reading
43 people want to read
About the author
Lee Bennett Hopkins
206 books52 followersLee Bennett Hopkins was inducted into the Florida Artists Hall of Fame in 2017. He holds a Guinness Book of Records citation for compiling the most anthologies for children. He has also received the Christopher Award, the Regina Medal, and the National Council of Teachers of English Excellence in Poetry for Children Award. He lives in Florida.
For more information, please see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lee_Ben...
For more information, please see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lee_Ben...
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
September 3, 2013
Fifteen science-themed poems encourage young readers to explore the world around and make careful observations, paying attention to seeds, animals, magnets, and even those dinosaur bones that lie buried beneath the earth. The illustrations are filled with rich colors, and readers will enjoy them immensely. This collection may encourage curious readers to direct their academic futures toward science.
December 8, 2007
Lee Bennett Hopkins has created an elegant collection of science-related poetry with Spectacular Science: A Book of Poems. Illustrations by Virginia Halstead bring the poems’ content to life in this book for upper elementary readers.
Hopkins chose 15 poems from authors such as Carl Sandburg and David McCord for inclusion in this text. A table of contents guides readers when locating poems, each of which is housed on its own page. The poems appear to be chosen because of their poetic elements and appeal to students. Short in length and with subjects such as dinosaur bones and snowflakes, the content of the poems is interesting to young readers.
Many of the poems use line breaks and spacing in a distinctive manner. ‘Encounter’ by Lillian Moore is an example of a work that has line breaks in every stanza of the poem and uses them to mold the timing of the poem as it is read. Other poetic elements in the book include rhythm, rhyme, and repetition, especially in the poem ‘Dinosaur Bone’ by Alice Schertle and ‘How?’ by Lee Bennett Hopkins. Many of the other poems in Spectacular Science are free verse or complex, which may turn away reluctant readers.
Halstead’s illustrations are the highlight of this text. Using oil paints and colored pencil, the illustrator has created dynamic, slightly abstract artwork that is related to the poem it accompanies. The artwork is the focus of this book; from cover to cover, colorful paintings fill every inch of the pages, with the poems typed in the margins or backgrounds of Halstead’s work. Students will enjoy the colorful, expressive illustrations of this book.
Hopkins’s book is a high quality collection, but it may be too complex for readers who are not interested in poetry to enjoy in one sitting. Many of the poems in the collection are not appropriate for students who have difficulty reading because of the complex poetic elements they include. Students who enjoy poetry will enjoy some of the more complex poems; but all students will enjoy the silly, narrative poems Hopkins included.
Spectacular Science is as much a collection of beautiful paintings as it is a collection of art. Halstead’s colorful illustrations catch reader interest and will be enjoyed by anyone who reads this book. This book is an interesting collection of science poems that teachers can integrate into the science or language arts classroom. Hopkins’ selection of poems may discourage students from reading the book in one sitting, but readers can definitely enjoy the book if used selectively.
Hopkins chose 15 poems from authors such as Carl Sandburg and David McCord for inclusion in this text. A table of contents guides readers when locating poems, each of which is housed on its own page. The poems appear to be chosen because of their poetic elements and appeal to students. Short in length and with subjects such as dinosaur bones and snowflakes, the content of the poems is interesting to young readers.
Many of the poems use line breaks and spacing in a distinctive manner. ‘Encounter’ by Lillian Moore is an example of a work that has line breaks in every stanza of the poem and uses them to mold the timing of the poem as it is read. Other poetic elements in the book include rhythm, rhyme, and repetition, especially in the poem ‘Dinosaur Bone’ by Alice Schertle and ‘How?’ by Lee Bennett Hopkins. Many of the other poems in Spectacular Science are free verse or complex, which may turn away reluctant readers.
Halstead’s illustrations are the highlight of this text. Using oil paints and colored pencil, the illustrator has created dynamic, slightly abstract artwork that is related to the poem it accompanies. The artwork is the focus of this book; from cover to cover, colorful paintings fill every inch of the pages, with the poems typed in the margins or backgrounds of Halstead’s work. Students will enjoy the colorful, expressive illustrations of this book.
Hopkins’s book is a high quality collection, but it may be too complex for readers who are not interested in poetry to enjoy in one sitting. Many of the poems in the collection are not appropriate for students who have difficulty reading because of the complex poetic elements they include. Students who enjoy poetry will enjoy some of the more complex poems; but all students will enjoy the silly, narrative poems Hopkins included.
Spectacular Science is as much a collection of beautiful paintings as it is a collection of art. Halstead’s colorful illustrations catch reader interest and will be enjoyed by anyone who reads this book. This book is an interesting collection of science poems that teachers can integrate into the science or language arts classroom. Hopkins’ selection of poems may discourage students from reading the book in one sitting, but readers can definitely enjoy the book if used selectively.
March 18, 2019
Age Level: I think that this read is for k-2nd but again, it should be read by 2nd graders but read to kindergartners.
Summary: This is a book of poems that talks about different types of things in science and explains what it is in a rhythmic manner. They are all separate poems by different people but picked out by Hopkins.
Review: I think this a great read to simply explain some concepts in science. It can be read as a whole book or just as the individual poems to explain or give a twist on how science is taught.
Summary: This is a book of poems that talks about different types of things in science and explains what it is in a rhythmic manner. They are all separate poems by different people but picked out by Hopkins.
Review: I think this a great read to simply explain some concepts in science. It can be read as a whole book or just as the individual poems to explain or give a twist on how science is taught.
March 13, 2018
I think this is a great book to have in the classroom when learning about either poems or science. Here students can see how poems can be written about anything and they can see how these poems are written. Students can also learn about science in a poetic way. Instead of reading through a textbook or listening to a lecture, they can learn about different topics in a quick manner. I really liked the illustrations on this book. I think the medium used in this book were colored pencils.
November 21, 2017
Ages- 5 & up
Genre- Informational/Poetry
Date Read- 11/20/17
Unique Feature-
The unique feature of this book is that it is a collection of poetry from various poets. Every poem describes a different aspect of science. This book would be a great way to get students interested and familiar with various science information.
Genre- Informational/Poetry
Date Read- 11/20/17
Unique Feature-
The unique feature of this book is that it is a collection of poetry from various poets. Every poem describes a different aspect of science. This book would be a great way to get students interested and familiar with various science information.
May 17, 2017
The Poem I liked the best was What is Science? by Rebecca Kai Dotlich. In fact I have the picture book by her that is an illustrated version of this poem. The other poems were OK but didn't really stand out as really amazing.
February 5, 2018
Poetry
Stunning Illustrations
1st grade-5th grade
Stunning Illustrations
1st grade-5th grade
September 21, 2020
I love poetry books so this is one of my favorites that I have read so far. This book brings a fun twist to science.
November 12, 2024
Science learning through poetry, I love it!
April 15, 2016
Spectacular Science is book that contain poetry about the things around them. It covers things about the light shining through a prism, dinosaur bones, stars and many more. There are illustration that go well with the poems. They were really colorful and pleasing to the eye. I believe this book will encourage students who are reading to see the things around them differently and see the significants in them.
One of my favorite poem in this book is the crystal vision. While reading this poem, I felt like I made a connection because, I have taken astronomy and seen what the light looks like through a prism. There is a line that is "I hold a rainbow in my hands", I have never thought of it that way, because growing up I always wonder what it would be like to touch the rainbow, but it was actually the light. The poem contain the characteristics of rhyming, making it fun to read.
One of my favorite poem in this book is the crystal vision. While reading this poem, I felt like I made a connection because, I have taken astronomy and seen what the light looks like through a prism. There is a line that is "I hold a rainbow in my hands", I have never thought of it that way, because growing up I always wonder what it would be like to touch the rainbow, but it was actually the light. The poem contain the characteristics of rhyming, making it fun to read.
October 1, 2013
This book offers an entertaining collection of poems with a science theme. The poems range from snow to seeds, from dinosaur bones to the stars, from the sky to the seashore. There are only fifteen poems, so the book can easily be read all at once.
I like the simplicity of the book and the way that children can connect to the wonder of exploration and discovery that is contained within each poem. I also like that there are poems by different authors, so each has a different style. The illustrations are vividly colorful and complement the poems nicely. We enjoyed reading this book together.
I like the simplicity of the book and the way that children can connect to the wonder of exploration and discovery that is contained within each poem. I also like that there are poems by different authors, so each has a different style. The illustrations are vividly colorful and complement the poems nicely. We enjoyed reading this book together.
April 22, 2012
This book of science poems adds a whole new element to the subject of science. This allows students to both explore science during hands on activities, as well as reading and creating poems about these discoveries. This speaks to the specific multiple intelligences of students and ways in which they learn.
February 21, 2015
, A book of 15 science poems describe a deer, a neglected magnet and the snowflakes and more while the poets pay close attention to nature. The poems each evoke the mysteriousness of the physical world. The poets remind us that we're all scientists at heart because of our curiosity. This book is for 2-4 grades.
February 6, 2012
This book was good, some of the poems were clever but some were not. All the poems had to do with some aspect of science. It would be a good book to have in the classroom because it can combine two interests, science and poetry.
March 6, 2015
I think this book is a great way to introduce science in a fun poetic way. I think this is a good way to incorporate science and nature into a reading class if there is not an allotted time for your classroom.
March 12, 2013
Grades: 1-4
Topic: Weather, animals, etc
Topic: Weather, animals, etc
December 3, 2014
Literary features: rhyme, poetry
September 27, 2016
An excellent source for adding poetic flare to any science lesson.
Engaging and fun, a great way to explore the world of science.
Engaging and fun, a great way to explore the world of science.
December 19, 2017
Information. I read this book in class when we learned about information texts. This would be great as an independent read for kids interested in poetry and not science, or visa versa.
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May 21, 2012Grade: 2 - 6
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews