Joyful Noise

Fleischman, Paul. (1988). Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices. Beddows, E. (illus.) New York, New York: Harper Trophy

Brief Annotation: This is a set of poems about different insects written for two people to read together. Some of the poems are like a conversation, some like an argument, and some are in the form of a musical round. Some of the poems, like the Digger Wasp poem that relates how the wasp dies before it sees its offspring are sad and resigned, others are lyrical and play with the sounds the insects make, while others are funny conversations, like that between two mismatched but in love book lice. The poem that features a queen bee and a worker bee is a interesting contrast in perspectives on life in the hive.
Genre: Poetry
Grade Level: 3-6
Readers who will like this: Readers who like insects, readers who like to read aloud, readers who like good illustrations
Response/Rating (1-4): 4. I loved the illustrations, the contrast between the emotions in the different poems, and how fun it is to read the poems out loud. My daughter and I read the whole book together, and found it challenging and hilarious. The poems put the reader into the mind of the different insects, and the insights into life and death are deep and fascinating.
One question you would ask before a read aloud: What do you think that a bug would write about if it could write?