Editorial Review
Written to be read aloud by two voices--sometimes alternating, sometimes simultaneous--here is a collection of irresistible poems that celebrate the insect world, from the short life of the mayfly to the love song of the book louse. Funny, sad, loud, and quiet, each of these poems resounds with a booming, boisterous, joyful noise.
In this remarkable volume of poetry for two voices, a companion to I Am Phoenix,Paul Fleischman verbally re-creates the "Booming/boisterios/joyful noise" of insects. The poems resound with the pulse of the cicada and the drone of the honeybee. Eric Beddows's vibrant drawings send each insect soaring, spinning, or creeping off the page in its own unique way.
Paul Fleischman has created not only a clear and fascinating guide to the insect world--from chrysalid butterflies to whirligig beetles--but an exultant celebration of life.
Winner, 1989 Newbery Medal
Notable Children's Books of 1988 (ALA)
1988 Best Books for Young Adults (ALA)
1988 Boston Globe–Horn Book Award Honor Book for Fiction/Poetry
1989 Fanfare Honor List (The Horn Book)
1988 Notable Trade Books in the Language Arts (NCTE)
Children's Books of 1988 (Library of Congress)
1988 Books for the Teen Age (NY Public Library)
100 Books for Reading and Sharing (NY Public Library)
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Customer Reviews
Short and sweet 
2008-11-23
The poems are fun, and my 9th graders enjoyed reading them. The only problem is the selection is too limited--there are too few poems in the book! Guess I will have to get the next one.
An interesting idea that will delight children 
2008-06-29
This is a poetry book that children will enjoy reading aloud. Designed to be read by two people, sometimes simultaneously and other times alternatively. The topics are also ones that children will understand; they are about the actions of real or imaginary insects. For example, the titles of the first six verses are:
*) Grasshoppers
*) Water striders
*) Mayflies
*) Fireflies
*) Book lice
*) The Moth's Serenade
It is easy to see why this book was the winner of the 1989 Newbery Medal.
Certainly is pretty to listen to. 
2008-05-07
I am not a poetry person. I like to read it probably more than other people, but I am the type of person that likes to sit back with a good novel that tells a long story.And yet the artist in me was addicted to the beauty of these read-aloud poems. Indeed, they are meant to be read aloud in celebration of the beautiful, natural world around us. Fleischman is a talented poet and certainly as an ear for the harmony that perpetuates his poems.
Wonderfully creative - fun! 2007-12-18
Joyful Noise is a very special book of poetry, ideal for two people (probably 12 and older) to read together. In addition, we use it as a guide for creating similar poems ourselves. It's full of fun!
Excellent Resource for Poetry Exposure in the Classroom 2007-08-03
"Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices" can be enjoyed by anyone who has an interest in poetry, but I believe it will be a wonderful classroom resource. Literature involves not only novels, but also poetry." Joyful Noise" can be read by the entire class, allowing everyone to participate. The verses can be challenging (and the vocabulary is suited for older students), but it is fun and entertaining to attempt to read them correctly. "Joyful Noise" can also be used across the curriculum. The poems are about insects (I especially love the poem 'Fireflies'), and they would be ideal for integration into science lessons, with children researching an insect from the book. Students could do art after reading one of these poems, creating pictures to describe what they've read. Writing skills could be built by allowing students to create their own poems for two voices. Vocabulary could be strengthened by, as a class, looking up the more difficult words and clarifiying everyone's understanding. All in all, this is a very special book, whether it's kept for personal enjoyment or is shared with children!
Truly is a "Joyful Noise" 2007-07-05
Written to be read aloud by two voices--sometimes alternating, sometimes simultaneous--here is a collection of irresistible poems that celebrate the insect world, from the short life of the mayfly to the love song of the book louse. Funny, sad, loud, and quiet, each of these poems resounds with a booming, boisterous, joyful noise.
In this remarkable volume of poetry for two voices, a companion to I Am Phoenix,Paul Fleischman verbally re-creates the "Booming/boisterios/joyful noise" of insects. The poems resound with the pulse of the cicada and the drone of the honeybee. Eric Beddows's vibrant drawings send each insect soaring, spinning, or creeping off the page in its own unique way.
Paul Fleischman has created not only a clear and fascinating guide to the insect world--from chrysalid butterflies to whirligig beetles--but an exultant celebration of life.
Winner, 1989 Newbery Medal
Notable Children's Books of 1988 (ALA)
1988 Best Books for Young Adults (ALA)
1988 Boston Globe–Horn Book Award Honor Book for Fiction/Poetry
1989 Fanfare Honor List (The Horn Book)
1988 Notable Trade Books in the Language Arts (NCTE)
Children's Books of 1988 (Library of Congress)
1988 Books for the Teen Age (NY Public Library)
100 Books for Reading and Sharing (NY Public Library)
Create life-long memories with your children or grandchildren 2006-09-03
Mesmorizing & magical. These poems are fun to read with kids ... for both kid and adult ... because the interplay of sounds is magical. And for the adults, there is deeper meaning to savor and be mesmorized by for long after the last page is turned. I read these with my kids over a decade ago, Just re-found the book and read them again with them a decade later and they smiled ear to ear at the memory of reading it together so long ago, and loved doing it again, but this time at a deeper level.
Great poetry to read with a friend! 2006-06-15
I like this book because it's a fun way to learn about insects. You can also read it with a friend. My favorite part about the book was the poem called Water Boatman. It's m favorite because it was very funny. I also liked the one called Honeybees because you got to use two different personalities. The queen bee had a wonderful life and the worker bee has a hard life and hates being a bee. I would recommend this book to my teachers as a learning book about poetry and insects.
Don't Read Alone 2006-02-23
Don't pick this book of poetry up unless you are with someone else who wants to read it too. This book is meant to be read aloud by two people at the same time, if you try reading it silently it gets very boring. If you are into performance and like to practice reading things aloud, then this book is great. As a future school teacher I have seen a lot of possibilities come from this book. Some struggling reader could be motivated to practice quite a bit by this book if they have a partner to read with (parent, classmate, friend, etc.), but it is not at all entertaining to read in any other way than with "two voices."
Great poems for two voices 2006-01-12
I read poems for two voices.There are animal poems.They are great poems for two voices.I liked the poems.
