Joyful Noise:
Poems for Two Voices
By Paul Fleischman
Cover image retrieved 4/15/13
from
Bibliography
Fleischman, Paul, and
Eric Beddows. Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices. New York: Harper & Row,
1988. ISBN 9780060218522
Critical
Analysis
Like the twittering of
birds in the treetops or the chirping of crickets in the woods on a starry
night, Joyful Noise Poems for Two Voices
has the delightful repartee of a soulful, natural melody. Mr. Fleischman has composed an assortment of
poems about members of the insect world. These poems are more serious and
scholarly than those on the same subject by Douglas Florian in Insectlopedia, yet each book contains an
engaging mix of poems to learn from and enjoy. Organized in a table of contents
at the front of the book, Joyful Noise
presents science poetry that is responsive and informative.
An author’s note at the
beginning of the book tells the reader that,
"The
following poems were written to be read aloud by two readers at once, one
taking the left-hand part, the other taking the right-hand part. The poems should
be read from top to bottom, the two parts meshing as in a musical duet. When
both readers have lines at the same horizontal level, those lines are to be
spoken simultaneously."
Readers will find
connections to many types of insects. This book would be wonderful paired with
a variety of non-fiction texts. Using these poems for a poetry break during
Science class would extend students’ learning through sensory imagery.
Vocabulary and insect characteristics provide readers the chance to learn more
and gain a deeper understanding of the insect world. Joyful Noise would be an excellent addition to any library or
classroom collection.
Book
Reviews
Peter K. Quigg (KLIATT
Review, September 1992 (Vol. 26, No. 6))
Since poetry was
originally an auditory medium that is seldom read aloud anymore Fleischman’s
poems are a good introduction to the oral tradition of verse. As the title
suggests, these are poems written in two voices meant to be uttered together. Equally
important is the beauty of the illustrations, which are copiously sprinkled
throughout the book. This is an engaging collection that is highly recommended
to introduce students to the variety, scope, and interdisciplinary aspects of
poetry.
Publishers Weekly
(Publishers Weekly)
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. Beddows’s black-and-white
drawings blend biology-text accuracy with charming cartoon fancies and keep
pace with the imaginative verse.
Mary Quattlebaum
(Children’s Literature)
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.
Book
Awards
John Newbery Medal,
1989 Winner United States
Best
Book Lists
Adventuring with Books:
A Booklist for PreK-Grade 6, 12th Edition, 1999 ; National Council
of Teachers of English; United States
Adventuring with Books:
A Booklist for PreK-Grade 6, Tenth Edition, 1993 ; National Council of Teachers
of English; United States
Best Books for Young
Adults, 1988 ; American Library Association YALSA; United States
Books for You: An
Annotated Booklist for Senior High, Twelfth Edition, 1995 ; National Council of
Teachers of English; United States
Children’s Catalog,
Eighteenth Edition, 2001 ; H.W. Wilson; United States
Children’s Catalog,
Nineteenth Edition, 2006 ; H.W. Wilson; United States
Middle And Junior High
School Library Catalog, Eighth Edition, 2000 ; H.W. Wilson; United States
Middle and Junior High
School Library Catalog, Ninth Edition, 2005 ; H.W. Wilson; United States
Poetry
Break!
Spotlight
Poem
Honeybees
Being a bee Being
a bee
is a
joy.
is a pain.
I’m
a queen
I’m a worker
I’ll gladly explain. I’ll
gladly explain.
Upon
rising, I’m fed
by
my royal attendants,
I’m up at dawn,
guarding
the hive’s narrow
entrance
I’m
bathed
then I take out
the hive’s morning
trash
then
I’m groomed.
then I put in an hour
making wax,
without two minutes’
time
to sit still and relax.
The
rest of my day
is
quite simply set forth:
Then I might collect
nectar
from the field
three miles north
I
lay eggs,
or perhaps I’m on
larva detail
by
the hundred.
feeding the grubs
in their cells,
wishing the I were still
helpless and pale.
I’m
loved and I’m lauded,
I’m
outranked by none.
Then I pack combs with
pollen- not my idea of
fun.
When
I’ve done
enough
laying
Then, weary, I strive
I
retire
to patch up any cracks
in the hive.
for
the rest of the day.
Then I build some new
cells,
slaving away at
enlarging this Hell,
dreading the sight
of another sunrise,
wondering why we don’t
all unionize.
Truly a bee’s is the Truly
a bee’s is the
worst best
of all lives. of
all lives.
Learning
Extensions
Introduction:
·
Preselect
two readers to practice and prepare this selection to present to the class.
·
Divide
class into two groups, one on the left side of the room, one on the right.
·
Ask the
left group to focus mainly on the first reader (left side) of the poem. Ask the
right group to focus mainly on the second reader (right side) of the poem.
Instruct students to listen for words or phrases that convey the point of view
of each reader.
·
Ask the
readers to present the selection, reading with inflection.
Extensions:
·
Ask students
to share the points of view of each reader. What words and phrases clued the
listener to the point of view? Who is each reader representing?
·
Display the
poem for students to see, via document camera, or distribute copies of the
poem. Let the original readers lead the groups to read the poem chorally, group
vs. group. Encourage students to read with inflection, to convey the viewpoint
of the bee they represent.
·
Ask the
students to read the poem chorally again, this time chanting their lines.
Discuss how the style of delivery changes the intonation and meaning of the
poem.
Other
Books by Paul Fleischman
Picture books
The Birthday Tree
The Animal Hedge
Rondo in C
Shadow Play
Time Train
Weslandia
Lost: A Story in String
Sidewalk Circus
Glass Slipper, Gold Sandal: A Worldwide Cinderella
The Dunderheads
The Dunderheads Behind Bars
Younger fiction
Finzel The Farsighted
Half-A-Moon Inn
Phoebe Danger, Detective
Short stories
Graven
Images
Coming-and-Going Men
Plays
Mind's Eye
Zap
Poetry
I Am Phoenix: Poems for Two Voices
Joyful
Noise: Poems for Two Voices
Big Talk: Poems for Four Voices
Novels
Path of the Pale Horse
Rear-View Mirrors
Saturnalia
The Borning Room
Bull Run
A Fate
Totally Worse than Death
Seedfolks
Whirligig
Seek
Breakout
Nonfiction
Townsend's Warbler
Copier Creations
Dateline: Troy
Cannibal in the Mirror
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