Scien-trickery

Bibliography:
Lewis, J. Patrick and Frank Remkiewicz, ill. Scien-Trickery. Orlando: Voyager Books, 2007. ISBN-13 9780152166816

Plot Summary:
Scien-Trickery offers children 18 riddles having to do with various objects (and people) in Science. The riddles are short but there is only one per page due to the wonderful illustrations which accompany them. Each illustration gives clues to the answer, which can be found upside down on the page after the riddle.

Critical Analysis:
Most of the riddles are relevant to science today, a feat in itself. The only notable exception is the following, You’ll N-E-ver Guess What’s N-E-xt: “I begin with N-E, / and I'm one of nine / I end with N-E, / and I'm eighth in line" – which is about the planet Neptune. It is out of date since Pluto was demoted. The illustrations are what truly make this riddle book worthwhile. Each illustration has clues to help discover the answer, some of which is not going to be understood by children, but could spark their curiosity. The riddle on the Galapagos Islands has all sorts of (labeled) wildlife including Giant Tortoises, Fur Seals, Flightless Cormorants, and a Vermilion Flycatcher. The one on Dinosaur bones has a skeleton of an Iguanodon. My personal favorite is the integral on the chalk board that is flying Albert Einstein around. Children can use the detailed illustrations to help guide their answer, not only helping them in Science, but in Critical Thinking as well.

Review Excerpts:
School Library Journal – “These amusing rhyming-verse riddles touch on a variety of science topics and concepts. The jokes are lively, entertaining, and moderately challenging, with answers provided on the bottoms of the pages. Lewis includes a page of notes for readers who are driven to find more information about the topics. The colorful and detailed cartoon illustrations call to mind the work of Michael Martchenko. The riddles are printed on what is designed to look like loose-leaf sheets that are then incorporated into the larger pictures. The text and illustrations reinforce the atmosphere of learning while having fun, and the book works well as a read-aloud and for independent reading.”
Booklist – “Lewis, author of Arithme-Tickle (2002), offers a new collection of 18 riddles in verse, all inspired by science. Remkiewicz adds energetic art with zippy colors and accessible wit. The large, colorful illustrations often suggest the riddles' answers. Indeed, some of the verses would be difficult to solve without the visual hints… A few of the rhymes require real thought and a little knowledge to solve, but many are easy. Though mostly for fun, this attractive book has a place in classrooms where the study of science involves imagination and deduction as well as rote learning.”

Connections:
Here are other books for children that riddle and rhyme about science:
Saffer, Barbara. ABC Science Riddles. ISBN 9780939217557
Kranking, Kathleen W. 25 Solve-the-Riddle Science Mini-Books. ISBN 9780590644617
Moore, Jo E. The Big Book of Science Rhymes and Chants. ISBN 9781557992116
Decastro, Amy. Teaching Math and Science through Nursery Rhymes. ISBN 9781576906545
Hopkins, Lee Bennett. Spectacular Science: A Book of Poems. ISBN 9780689851209