Newbery Medal Winner

Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices

by Paul Fleischman

Summary

Paul Fleischman crafts a collection of poems about insects designed to be read aloud by two voices at once, the lines sometimes alternating and sometimes spoken together. The form mimics the buzzing, chirping rhythms of grasshoppers, fireflies, cicadas, and other creatures, turning poetry into a kind of performance. The inventive structure invites readers to hear language as music.

Historical Context & Significance

Paul Fleischman won the Newbery just two years after his father Sid Fleischman won it, a rare achievement for a parent and child.