Joyful Noise, written by Paul Fleischman, is a book of poems about different insects, like grasshoppers, moths, cicadas, and crickets. The poems are laid out so that two readers can read them together, where one reader reads the left column and the other reader reads the right column; some lines are overlapping and are to be read by both readers.
These poems really benefited from being read aloud! When I wasn’t reading them aloud, I would sometimes get confused and lose my place on the page. It would be so fun to read the poems aloud in a classroom, with the teacher being one voice and the students all being the other voice, or some other variation of this. I can see this book being easily integrated into a science unit about insects. The poems really taught me a lot about insects; for example, mayflies only live one day, and digger wasps die before their young hatch.
The perspective was really interesting. I don’t usually think about life from the perspective of insects, but that is just what Fleischman had me do in this book. He gives all of the insects human characteristics so that the reader can relate to them. For example, I’m not sure that bugs fall in love, but the two book lice were got married and spent their honeymoon in a travel book. That poem (“Book Lice”) was one of my favorites. I also enjoyed the poem about mayflies because Fleischman was really able to demonstrate the frenzy of only being alive for one day. I also liked the poem about fireflies because I liked how he describes the fireflies as using their light to write in the darkness. I thought that was a really neat idea, and his words helped me to visualize it.
Beddows’ illustrations added an extra element to the book. His pictures complement the poems and represent the insects well; they are all unique and help me to visualize the insects as they are described in the poetry. For example, my favorite illustration goes along with the poem “Whirligig Beetles”. The poem talks about how whirligig beetles don’t walk in straight lines and that instead, they “spin and swerve as if they were on a merry-go-round” (32). The illustration for this poem is about 20 or so beetles weaving along the pages. They have been drawn to indicate that they are not walking in straight lines but in curved ones.
Paul Fleischman’s books often deal with nature, like in Weslandia and Seedfolks. In this book, Fleischman celebrates the insect world, much like he uses a garden as the main character in Seedfolks. Plants also play a big role in Weslandia because he uses things from nature, like the strange plants and flowers that begin growing there, to help construct his own land. This book would be a great addition to a unit on insects!
3 comments:
I haven't thought of life from a bug's perspective much either, but got pulled right in by Fleischman. I'm so glad you pointed out the illustrations, I really breezed by them and made my own images based on the words and my own experiences. The only illustration I really looked at was of the bug drowning in Water Striders. Since reading your blog, I have gone back and looked at the illustrations. They add so much to each story! Thank you!
When I read the poem about fireflies I was reminded of being a little girl and trying to catch one and look at it through a jar (not that I am older, that seems like a very mean thing to do to a firefly!). I was also reminded of using sparklers to "write in the sky" my name. It is a little whimsical to think that maybe fireflies are writing their names in the sky, but it's a nice, innocent feeling. Summer is not coming fast enough, when I can look at fireflies on my own and "ask" them what they are writing! :)
I enjoyed how Fleischman gave the insects in the poems human characteristics. This enabled me to become more invested in each poem and I found myself empathizing with the insects and feeling that I was a part of their existence. I felt as if I became an insider into the insect world. I also think that these poems would serve as a powerful learning/read-aloud opportunity for students.
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