Brainjuice: Science, Fresh Squeezed!: 41 Thirst-for-Knowledge-Quenching Poems

by Carol Diggory Shields, Richard Thompson (Illustrator)

General science never stops! You have to learn earth science, space science, life science, chemistry, and physics - and that's way too much! But before you administer hot compresses to the head and herbal tea for settling the nerves, try Science, Fresh Squeezed!
As American History, Fresh Squeezed!, the first in the BrainJuice series, did for our country's past, Science, Fresh Squeezed! offers everything you need to know and understand about the entire body of scientific knowledge. Extracted from unreadable tomes, reduced to its essence, served up in hilarious poetry by Carol Diggory Shields, and garnished with off-the-wall drawings by Richard Thompson, these 41 poems will make another science class completely unnecessary. No guarantees on grades, though!

64 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2003

About the author

Carol Diggory Shields was inspired to write Saturday Night at the Dinosaur Stomp after "being called a Nagosaurus by my five-year-old," she admits. "I started playing with the idea of partying dinosaurs who were scientifically accurate (more or less), and somehow in the prehistoric ooze of my brain, Saturday Night at the Dinosaur Stomp took shape." Her rocking prehistoric party proved a hit with both young readers and critics. "Witty and imaginative, the poem has a rhythm that makes cumbersome multisyllable dinosaur names roll off the tongue," said Kirkus Reviews.
Currently a children's librarian, Carol Diggory Shields has also worked with children as a recreational therapist and at one time was a designer of stuffed toys. Her years of being around children have no doubt helped her get a feel for the fun-but-factual stories that kids love, told in animated verse with an infectious beat. After successfully collaborating with illustrator Scott Nash on Saturday Night at the Dinosaur Stomp, she teamed up with him for Martian Rock, "the true story of how a meteorite from Mars arrived on Earth," she quips.
More recently, the pair worked together again on The Bugliest Bug, a wacky tale of an insect talent contest threatened by hungry spiders (disguised as judges) and a brave little Damselfy who saves the day. "Insects are awesome!," the author enthuses. "Every human invention, from catapults to jet propulsion, had already been invented and used by bugs for millions of years. And that's why to be 'bugly' is the ultimate compliment."
The author of several books for children, Carol Diggory Shields lives in northern California.

Reviews

[Anna Lawrence · Rating 4 out of 5]

Personal Reaction:
This is a great children's poetry book and I really enjoyed and got a laugh while reading it! The poems are easy to read and they flowed really well with their rhythms and rhymes. I liked how they were based on education as well, it gives learning a fun twist to it. Another thing that I really liked about it was there were pictures drawn to go along with most of the poems. I am definitely a visual learner so I am always drawn to text with illustrations so I can see it happening rather than just hearing it.

Purposes:
-Kindergarten through 2nd or 3rd grade.
Read aloud Enrichment
-For enjoyment and pleasure purposes of reading funny children's poems
-For educational purposes: The poems in this book are science and world based. There are some that can be used for world geographical history talking about Pangea and Tibet, and other that talk about water cycles, and the food chain!
Curriculum:
-There is rhyming in all of the poems that differ depending on the poem
-Since there are so many educational topics covered in these poems, they could be chosen accordingly to be read and discussed before the lesson or unit on that particular topic so the students have a fun introduction to it.

[Tara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great poems about basic science concepts. I love the format. It has great quotes and facts at the top of the pages. Love it.