A Newbery Award Winner, The poems resound with the pulse of the cicada and the drone of the honeybee. They can be fully appreciated by an individual reader, but they're particularly striking when read aloud by two voices, making this an ideal pick for classroom use. Eric Beddows′s vibrant drawings send each insect soaring, spinning, or creeping off the page in its own unique way. ( )

Independent Reading Level: Grades 3-5
1989 Newbery Medal

What a fun read, and what an even more fun listen! I was captivated by listening to the audio version of the two voices back and forth and then in unison, it was very hypnotic and musical. I loved picturing each of these insects interacting! The final poem's transition from fall to winter to spring was a highlight for me. The natural birth, death, and rebirth of the world is such a poignant reality and Fleischman does not overplay it or under deliver. I will be sure to read this with my spouse to my children. This would be such a joyful noise to perform! ( )

This book includes many poems about different bugs and insects and is meant for two people to read at the same time with corresponding lines. This book is unique because it requires two people to read together, and while enjoyable to read also provides interesting illustrations of characteristics of bugs. This book would be appropriate for intermediate readers. ( )

This is a book full of two-voice poems about the noises that insects make. Since this is a two-voice poem, it works best when two people read it together. This is what makes this book so great for a classroom. I would recommend this to either an English teacher who wants an interactive, read aloud poem, or a science teacher who is maybe teaching a lesson about insects. ( )