Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices

Amazon.com
Winner of the 1989 Newbery Award, Joyful Noise is a children's book of poetry about insects that was designed for two readers to enjoy together. On each page are two columns of verse for children to alternate reading aloud about the lives of six-legged creatures ranging from fireflies writing in the sky to a love affair between two lice, crickets eating pie crumbs and the single day in the life of a mayfly. Charming large scale soft-pencil illustrations enhance the comical, easy-to-read text.


From Publishers Weekly
In resonant voices and striking use of language, this 1989 Newbery Medal-winner explores the various sounds and concerns of the insect world. All ages. Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From School Library Journal
Grade 3 Up In this collection of 14 ``Poems for Two Voices'' about insects, Fleisch man surpasses its companion volume, I Am Phoenix (Harper, 1985). He has com bined the elements of sound and meaning to create clear, lively images of a variety of insects. Elements of repetition, ono matopoeia, and alliteration are effectively used to create a character for each of these creatures, with fireflies ``Flickering, flitting, flashing'' and mayflies ``lying, dy ing,'' which make these poems a joy for reading aloud. In addition, elements of personality, both fictional and real, are presented with charming effect. The love lorn moth who yearns for the lightbulb and the book lice who overcome their differing ``tastes'' represent the lighter side, while the digger wasp's reflection on the home it digs for children it will never see and ``Re quiem,'' written for the victims of ``Fall's first killing frost,'' represent real beha viors. Beddows uses personified black- and-white drawings to capture the feeling of the poems, including a sultry queen honeybee reclining on her couch. This book can join Bugs (Viking, 1976) by Mary Ann Hoberman and Never Say Ugh! to a Bug (Greenwillow, 1979) by Norma Farber as proof that insects are indeed the stuff of poetry. Barbara Chatton, Col lege of Education, University of Wyo ming, LaramieCopyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.


The New York Times Book Review, Katha Pollitt
Mr. Fleischman is particularly clever at humor.


H.
"A companion to I Am Phoenix, this marvelous, lyrical evocation of the insect world demands accolades. With subjects ranging from grasshoppers to butterflies, there is variety in tone, mood, and theme. There are fourteen poems in the handsomely designed volume, with wonderfully interpretive illustrations. Each selection is a gem, polished to perfection."



"A companion to I Am Phoenix, this marvelous, lyrical evocation of the insect world demands accolades."


Book Description
Written to be read aloud by two voices--sometimes alternating, sometimes simultaneous--here is a collection of irresistible poems that celebrate the insect world, from the short life of the mayfly to the love song of the book louse. Funny, sad, loud, and quiet, each of these poems resounds with a booming, boisterous, joyful noise. In this remarkable volume of poetry for two voices, a companion to I Am Phoenix,Paul Fleischman verbally re-creates the "Booming/boisterios/joyful noise" of insects. The poems resound with the pulse of the cicada and the drone of the honeybee. Eric Beddows's vibrant drawings send each insect soaring, spinning, or creeping off the page in its own unique way.Paul Fleischman has created not only a clear and fascinating guide to the insect world--from chrysalid butterflies to whirligig beetles--but an exultant celebration of life. Winner, 1989 Newbery Medal
Notable Children's Books of 1988 (ALA)
1988 Best Books for Young Adults (ALA)
1988 Boston Globe–Horn Book Award Honor Book for Fiction/Poetry
1989 Fanfare Honor List (The Horn Book)
1988 Notable Trade Books in the Language Arts (NCTE)
Children's Books of 1988 (Library of Congress)
1988 Books for the Teen Age (NY Public Library)
100 Books for Reading and Sharing (NY Public Library)


Card catalog description
A collection of poems describing the characteristics and activities of a variety of insects.


About the Author
Paul Fleischman was born in Monterey, California, and grew up in Santa Monica. He attended the University of California at Berkeley and the University of New Mexico at Albuquerque, and now lives in Pacific Grove, California. He is the author of many books for young readers, includingSeedfolks, The Borning Room, Bull Run, and Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices, and winner of the 1989 Newbery Medal.


Buy from Amazon     Compare Prices

Written to be read aloud by two readers, this Newbery Medal winner abounds with insect sounds and doings. Watch for the book lice whose taste ranges from Schiller to thrillers. 1992 (orig.


Buy from Barnes & Noble     Compare Prices