Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices

POETRY

Joyful Noise is a quick, entertaining collection of poems written about various insects. The most interesting part is that they are meant to be recited by two people, sometimes in unison, alternating, or even in opposition. The poems themselves are clever but not necessarily profound; I thought that some were much better than others. I could see reading these poems aloud at school or with family members as entertaining, and the illustrations by Beddows are beautifully rendered.

I listened to this on audiotape, then I read the poems, and then I listened to the audiotape again. It's amazing to hear the poems read aloud, in two voices, converging, diverging, making a strong statement by reading a line in unison.

The poems are all about insects. The illustrations are lovely pen-and-ink drawings. I want to get the audiobook for my library and find a way to use it with the students.