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Summary
Summary
This unique and clever Newbery Medal-winning poetry collection, beloved by readers and teachers alike, has remained a favorite for more than fifteen years. Paul Fleischman's remarkable poems for two voices are perfectly framed by Eric Beddows' black and white drawings, and the redesign of this new edition is a simple hearkeing back tot he original hardcover edition with an added green border to the cover.
Author Notes
Paul Fleischman was born in Monterey, California on September 5, 1952. His father is fellow children's author, Sid Fleischman. He attended the University of California at Berkeley for two years, from 1970 to 1972. He dropped out to go on a cross-country train/bicycle trip and along the way took care of a 200-year-old house in New Hampshire. He eventually earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree from the University of New Mexico in 1977.
Fleischman has written over 25 books for children and young adults including award winners such as Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices, Newberry Medal in 1989; Graven Images, Newberry Honor; Bull Run, Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction; Breakout, Finalist for the National Book Award in 2003; Saturnalia, Boston Globe-Horn Book Fiction Honor. He has also garnered numerous awards and recognitions from the American Library Association, School Library Journal, Publisher's Weekly, Booklist, and NCTE.
He founded the grammar watchdog groups ColonWatch and The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to English.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (4)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 3 Up-Inventive poetic duets written in side-by-side parts to be read aloud feature the habits and characteristics of 14 insects, including book lice, water striders, and mayflies. When read aloud with practice, human voices morph into insect sounds. Witty pencil drawings add a touch of humor. Audio version available from Recorded Books. (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly 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) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Kirkus Review
A splendid collection of poems in many moods about the lives and dreams of insects. Vivid language, strong images, and the masterful use of two voices in musical duet make this an excellent choice for reading aloud. A charming pair of book lice (""We're book lice/ fine mates/ despite different tastes"") set up home in Roger's Thesaurus to be ""close to his Horace"" and the mysteries she enjoys. Fleischman captures the character of empty-headed water striders, single-minded water boatmen, and the serene queen bee with her complaining worker. More somber pieces include ""Requiem,"" an elegy for the insects that have died in the first killing frost; and ""The Digger Wasp,"" who laments ""I will never/ see my children."" Soft, elegantly detailed pencil drawings enhance the whole, with the book-reading praying mantises on the endpapers a special treat. A joyful noise that should find a wide audience. Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
This short collection of poems about insects is designed for reading aloud as a literary duet.
