Fleischman has a powerful gift for the use of words. With them, he has been able to create the cadence of insect sounds. When read aloud as intended, the insects join voices in musical duets and the author's spoken poems produce a rhythm reminiscent of the humming, buzzing, droning noises made by crickets, honey bees, and cicadas. The author's words also have the ability to evoke visual images. Written in free verse, his Joyful Noise poems are full of imaginative language. Fireflies are "insect calligraphers practicing penmanship;" grasshoppers are "leapfrogging longjumping grass-soarers;" and cicadas are "a mighty choir . . . chanting from the treetops."

Humor is another effective element which is evident in both the text and the illustrations, which blend accuracy with fantasy. The quality of these harmonious, yet unique, illustrations has influenced the success of this collection.

They entice the reader to closer inspection of both...