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Monday, December 28, 2015

RANDOM BODY PARTS: GROSS ANATOMY RIDDLES IN VERSE- LESLIE BULION



I love books that are multi-layered. You know, the kind that you can read, and then read again, and then read again, and discover something new every time?

RANDOM BODY PARTS: GROSS ANATOMY RIDDLES IN VERSE is definitely one of those books. The book includes twenty poem-riddles about body parts-- some common-heart, lungs, kidneys, etc., and  some unusual: spleen, pancreas, and nose. The first time through, you read to solve the riddle.

Good Riddance
to Bad Blood
Behind the stomach, upper left,
This gizmo (wren's nest-sized),
Is where red blood cells come to die,
And germs get neutralized.
 
This spongy, pulpy doodad hoards
At least a cup of blood,
Removing each blood cell that's
An aging, worn-out dud.
 
It's white blood cells squelch, then remove
Bacterial invaders.
They battle every virus like
Infection Caped Crusaders.
 
This power worker scours blood,
All night and all day through.
Yet most folks overlook it--
I don't think that's fair.
Do you?

Answer: The Spleen
And  then the reader gets a little extra information, because each riddle poem is accompanied by a factual paragraph:
Your spleen sits like a jaunty little cap tipped behind the rounded , top curve of the stomach. The spleen's red pulp destroys old red blood cells and returns iron to your blood. The white blood cells, from the spleen's white pulp, surround and destroy bacteria and viruses to fight infection.

But wait, there is another really cool thing! Each poem in the book is based on a Shakespeare play!!!!!

Quick as a Wink
Gritty
if not for me-----
that
is for certain.
 
To see
or not to see;
I am the curtain.
eyelid
Or here's a portion of the heart poem…
Shall I compare you to a clenched-up fist?
You are more gloppy,
shaped more like a cone.
Rough handling pounds a fist upon its wrist,
But you're protected in your cage of bone.

Back matter includes poetry notes that explain each poem's connection to Shakespeare. There is also a glossary, and a diagram that locates the organs.

A terrific addition to your poetry/science library!

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