In his 1989 Newberry Medal winning anthology, Joyful Noise, Paul Fleischman weaves together a series of insect-themed poems. Each of these poems is written with two voices in mind, often creating a cacophony of vocals, not unlike the sound of insects buzzing. This work is often labeled as the companion piece to his 1985 work, I am Phoenix, an anthology of two-voice poems inspired by a day in the life of birds. The styles and execution of the two-voices vary from poem to poem. While some poems have a steady meter and rhyme scheme, others are written in free verse. In some poems the two voices are used to represent two different characters, as in "Honeybees" where the two perspectives of Worker and Queen Bee are juxtaposed or "Book Lice" where two book lice share their romantic "opposites attract" tale. In other poems like "Whirligig Beetles", "Cicadas", and "House Crickets" the two voices are made to mimic the sound of the group of insects together.
This work is accompanied by spectacular pencil drawings by illustrator Eric Beddows. The cute, quirky illustrations bolster the text, often either elucidating it or adding humor to an already charming poem. In "Book Lice" Beddows has drawn the faces of a friendly book lice couple smiling through the gaps of a page they have presumably eaten through themselves. He shows an impressive attention to detail, as the phrase "I missed Conan Doyle..." peaks through the gap, just as it would if the adorable bug couple had truly eaten through the opening page of their poem. As we flip the page, we see the couple from behind, standing on a stack of books mentioned in the piece. In "Whirligig Beetles" Beddows illustrations echo the frantic, whirring nature of the piece.
This anthology is an amazing interdisciplinary tool. The two-voices aspect of the work leads itself effortlessly to live performance, which can be a great tool for gaining fluency in reading; in fact, on first opening the book, I grabbed a friend of mine and sat down to pour over the poems. Our excitement reverberated through my house as we giggled over the onomatopoeia of "crick-et" in "House Crickets" or tried over and over again to get the timing just right in "Cicadas". The subjects of the book also segue effortlessly into exploration of the different insects (Do chrysalides really last all winter? How do water striders walk on water?). It can also lead to great discussions on class differences and the importance of taking into account different perspectives as in "Honeybees" or the purpose of a requiem as in the praying mantis poem of the same name.
It is no mystery why this work has received such acclaim, after reading the charming anthology and perusing its darling pictures we are left wanting more. Luckily, there is I am Phoenix to satisfy our craving for Fleischman's clever poetry.
I had never even heard of poems for two voices until we read them in class the other day, and I'm so glad that you reviewed the entire book. I thought the "Whirligig Beetles" poem was really fun, and I was so hoping that the rest of them were equally good...and it sounds like they're even better than I expected!
ReplyDeleteI had not been aware of poems for two voices prior to reading the one in class either and found the one in class very exciting to read! I think children who are not as interested and engaged in the study of poetry would certainly open up to this form of choral reading. Some students tend to be shy reciting poetry alone, but these poems eradicate the nervous hesitation that can emerge when reading poetry or any other piece of literature aloud. I'm very curious to read this and other books of poems for two voices!!
ReplyDeleteI agree that this poetry book is a great way to teach children to read poems aloud. I was always scared to read aloud in school, but doing it as a group add anonymity to the reader. I wonder if this is a good book to read alone?
ReplyDeleteMiss Bee,
ReplyDeleteI really appreciated your review of Joyful Noise! As a sixth grade ELA teacher, this was my favorite poetry book to share with my students. The two voices construct put my most struggling readers at ease, and even eager to read. We had such a fun time with this poetry book and read it in many different and creative ways. It really was a beautiful thing. And you are dead on when you say that the content of the poems segues into good classroom conversations about different insects! I would encourage everyone to incorporate this book into their classroom at some point.