Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices By: Paul Fleischman

Fleischman, P. Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices. HarperCollins.

I enjoyed reading the collection of poems entitled Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices Written By: Paul Fleischman and illustrated with finely detailed pencil sketches of insects by Eric Beddows. This book was honored with the Newbery Medal in 1989, and it is clear that the inventive crafting of Fleischman won him the distinguished prize. On the back of the book, as well as in the interior prior to the first poem, the reader is instructed to read the poems with a partner, and they are better enjoyed by sharing them with some type of listening audience. Sometimes the person to the left reads a line, sometimes the person to the right is doing the reading, and on other times the two people read them together. For two people to do this, the poems must be read aloud, and that is an innovative format to write in.

I relish in coming across unique metaphoric comparisons, and similes that make me see connections that I had not thought of before. My favorite comparisons are found in the poem Fireflies:

"Light Light
is the ink we use
Night Night
is our parchment"

and at the end of this poem:

"Six-legged scribblers Six-legged scribblers
of vanishing messages
fleeting graffiti"

I thought the poem entitled The Moth's Serenade was humorous, with the moth conveying his undying longing for the porch light, finding it irresistible, as if madly in love with the woman of his dreams! I see that on Fleischman's web site, that he has two versions of "The Moth's Serenade" that people have composed in a music format, paying homage to this poem! In the poem Cicadas, merely hearing of that insect reminds me of that all too familiar sound in the trees of Tidewater, Virginia in the irrepressible heat of July and August. I especially like this line:

"Air kiln-hot, lead heavy"

Hearing that reminds me of stepping out of an air-conditioned space, and having your breath sucked out of you, either by the dryness of the heat, or the wet, heavy, humidity in the air, both making breathing a big more tasking.

I look forward to sharing some of these poems with students in my class in the near future! The poetry in this themed collection are a perfect compliment to our insect studies and upcoming Bugz 2nd grade play in a few weeks, where my class will be a hive full of bees - with kazoos! It's important to do some different things with students this time of year, to take a break from the everyday hum drum routine, to keep the students engaged and excited to come to school each day. The format of these poems is just the type of new novelty to bring to my students, and the challenge of reading in a different format, along with working with a partner, is the type of engagement that students forget that they are learning a host of skills, because they're having too much fun!