Module 4: Joyful Noise

Book Cover Image:

Book Summary:

 This books tells the stories of various insects and their daily experiences. It is written in verse and is intended for two readers to read in unison. The paired reading is intended to offer a new and refreshing experience to the audience. They can hear the rhythm of the poetry and liken that to the rhythm of the insects in their daily life. The story is in the voice of the insects and allows the readers to see insects from a new perspective. It is both entertaining and educational in nature.

APA Reference of Book:

Fleischman, P. (1988). Joyful noise: Poems for two voices. New York: NY: HarperCollins .

Impressions:

My major impression of this book is that the format is extraordinary. I have never seen another book like this one in format. The idea behind two people reading in unison only serves to enhance the meaning of the poems included. The author does an excellent job of making insects lives and purpose come to life. He presents the factual alongside the whimsical making for an incredibly interesting ride for both reader and listener.
The devices used in Fleischman's poetry provides excellent examples of writing for young readers. They are able to see how to take a very simplistic idea, telling the story of an insect, and use both form and sound to capture the readers's attention and enhance their understanding of creatures outside their general realm. Both the writing and the experience provided by this text are wonderous. What an excellent resource this could be to support English standards for poetry.

Professional Review:

Fleischman and Beddows (I Am Phoenix) are paired again for another remarkable collection of poems written to be read, by two people, out loud. Mayflies, moths, crickets and other insects join voices in clever musical duets. Fireflies are ``insect calligraphers'' who use their light as ink on the parchment of the night, cicadas ``chant from the treetops'' their ``booming joyful noise,'' and two honeybeesa queen and a droneexplain contrapuntally why they have the best and worst of lives. In one of the wittiest poems in the volume, two book lice discuss how they met on some dusty shelves, ``honeymooned in an old guide book on Greece'' and adore each other in spite of opposite tasteshe prefers Shakespeare and she Spillane. Beddows's black-and-white drawings blend biology-text accuracy with charming cartoon fancies and keep pace with the imaginative verse. All ages. (March)

Reference: 

Review of Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices, by P. Fleischman. (1988). Publishers Weekly. Retrieved from www.titlewave.com 

Library Uses:

This text could be used during poetry month for a poetry reading competition put on by the library. Students would be able to compete against other students in reading the text with a partner using great emotion.