Title: Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices
Author: Paul Fleischman
Newbery Award Year: 1989
Time: not specificed
Place: Outdoors, in the natural world
What a unique and fascinating little gem this was! Paul Flesichman (who also happens to be the son of Sid Fleischman, another Newberry winner) wrote 14 short poems focusing on different insects and compiled them all in this volume. The poems are intended to be read by two readers, and this book would be perfect to read aloud outdoors as part of a nature walk or insect study.
Instructions are given at the beginning of the book as to how exactly the poems are to be read. The first reader reads only one column, while the second reader takes the other — with an occasional reading in unison. My 9-year-old and I enjoyed reading the poems together, although we did laugh several times as the whole experience felt very different than what we were typically used to. (And in full disclosure, my 7-year-old thought the whole experience was just a little too silly to take part in at all!) Still, though, we all agreed that the poems were interesting, creative, imaginative, and educational.
Our rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️