Joyful Noise by Paul Fleischman
Winner, 1989 Newbery Award
Quick Summary
A collection of 14 poems describing the characteristics and activities of specific insects.
Favorite Quote
Insect calligraphers
practicing penmanship
About the Author
Paul Fleischman lives in Santa Cruz, California and is the author of numerous books for children. He says that music provides inspiration for his books. His father (Sid) also won a Newbery Award for The Whipping Boy in 1987, making them the only father-and-son pair to both win this award. Paul grew up hearing his father read aloud his books as they were written, chapter by chapter.
My Project
I wanted to create a kaleidoscope-style piece to reflect how the words change and merge together in these poems. I started with a purple paper background and added a carved teal wooden circle. I place a gunmetal butterfly in the center of the circle and surrounded it with tiny pairs of silver metal wings that look like lace from far away. I added a metal filigree leaf to the corner with the handwritten Newbery award date.
Final Thoughts
This book was more lighthearted and fun than I expected from the black-and-white illustrations. It's obvious that the author spent time studying insects and their behavior when imagining what they might say. I especially liked the ones that hinted at human interaction. For example, one poem deals with a moth's infatuation with a porch light and another with the books that book lice prefer. Because many of the poems are meant to be read with some of the lines of poetry overlapping (part of the "two voices"), you might prefer the audio version.
Your Turn
If you read this book, I'd love to hear what you think in the comments.