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Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People's Ears: A West African Tale


by Verna Aardema
by Leo Dillon, Diane Dillon

List Price: $7.99
Available: Usually ships in 24 hours
Sales Rank: 23542
Studio: Puffin/Dial
Binding: Paperback
Reading Level: Ages 4-8
Number Of Pages: 32
Publication Date: August 15, 2004
Publisher: Puffin/Dial


EDITORIAL REVIEWS

Product Description
In this Caldecott Medal winner, Mosquito tells a story that causes a jungle disaster. "Elegance has become the Dillons' hallmark. . . . Matching the art is Aardema's uniquely onomatopoeic text . . . An impressive showpiece."--Booklist, starred review. Full color.


CUSTOMER REVIEWS (Average Customer Rating: 4.5 based on 21 reviews)

Traditional (I assume) tale  
This is a great cumulative story, filled with appropriate sound effects for every animal mentioned.

It does get a little long (reciting long lists of animals will do that), so it might not be best for little-little ones who cannot sit through it.

One thing to note is that this book does have a center where an owlet is accidentally killed and its mother goes into mourning. If you do not feel your child can handle this sort of information, by all means choose another book to read.
September 12, 2008

Nice African Folk Tale  
My son belongs to our local museum's book club. One of the months was dedicated to Africa. This was one of the suggested reads. It was a fast, fun read. The art work in the illustration was gorgeous and prompted discussions. We had a good time reading it.
December 16, 2007

Lesson Learned  
The story takes place in a jungle. It's about a mosquito that was annoying an iguana and how all of the animals were affected by it. Overall, I thought this was a pretty good book. The book teaches a lesson, which is don't lie because when you lie you just get in more trouble.
July 17, 2007

Onomatopoeia  
I randomly selected this book at the library and was surprised to find that I could use it in my classroom! We just happened to be studying onomatopoeia at the time. Onomatopoeia is the use of words that imitates the sound it is describing (buzz, bam, pow, hiss, etc.). I had my seventh graders listen to the story as I read it aloud. They had to write each example of onomatopoeia that they heard. They loved the story, and it was a great reinforcement for what we were studying.
May 13, 2007

This is an awesome tale!  
I read this book as a small child when it originally received the Caldecott medal and I have loved it ever since. It has even become a favorite of my children who love the pictures and laugh everytime the mosquito gets WHACKED at the end. This is a also a great story to use to discuss cause and effect and I have had some wonderful discussions with my students utilizing this book. I would consider this a must read for any little person and adults alike!
August 16, 2006


SIMILAR PRODUCTS

Bringing the Rain to Kapiti Plain (Reading Rainbow Book)
by Verna Aardema

Anansi the Spider: A Tale from the Ashanti (An Owlet Book)
by Gerald McDermott

A Story, a Story
by Gail E. Haley

The Snowy Day
by Ezra Jack Keats

Owl Moon
by Jane Yolen

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