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| Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People's Ears by Verna Aardema illustrated by Leo & Diane Dillon |
Book summary:
After a pesky mosquito tells an iguana a silly lie, the iguana becomes annoyed and places sticks in his ears to avoid hearing such nonsense any longer. Thus begins a chain of events that eventually leads to the death of a baby owl. The mother owl is so grieved by the death of her baby that she refuses to summon the sun and the entire land is blanketed in darkness for far too long. The king of the wilderness, the lion, calls the animals of the kingdom before him to explain what has happened. Mother owl explains that the monkey has killed her owlet and she is too grieved to call up the sun. The monkey in turn blames the crow, who blames the rabbit and the story unfolds. In the end it is seen that the mosquito is responsible for the death of the baby owl and the Mother owl is satisfied and calls the sun. The mosquito hides away to avoid punishment, but is riddled by a guilty conscience. The guilty conscience leads the mosquitoes to constantly buzz in the ears of people asking if everyone is still angry. This requires an honest response, and is why people squash mosquitoes.
After a pesky mosquito tells an iguana a silly lie, the iguana becomes annoyed and places sticks in his ears to avoid hearing such nonsense any longer. Thus begins a chain of events that eventually leads to the death of a baby owl. The mother owl is so grieved by the death of her baby that she refuses to summon the sun and the entire land is blanketed in darkness for far too long. The king of the wilderness, the lion, calls the animals of the kingdom before him to explain what has happened. Mother owl explains that the monkey has killed her owlet and she is too grieved to call up the sun. The monkey in turn blames the crow, who blames the rabbit and the story unfolds. In the end it is seen that the mosquito is responsible for the death of the baby owl and the Mother owl is satisfied and calls the sun. The mosquito hides away to avoid punishment, but is riddled by a guilty conscience. The guilty conscience leads the mosquitoes to constantly buzz in the ears of people asking if everyone is still angry. This requires an honest response, and is why people squash mosquitoes.
Aardema, V., & Dillon, L. (1975). Why mosquitoes buzz in people's ears: A West African
tale. New York, NY: Dillon Press.
My impressions:
I found the retelling of this classic African folktale a refreshing break from traditional fairy tales. The moral of the story is an important lesson on the consequences of telling lies and the greater effects of one's actions. The story is accompanied by beautiful illustrations that will captivate younger readers with the bright colors and sharp edges while exposing them to the traditional style of African art.
Professional Review:
Ages 5-7. The Dillons' cut shapes of varying hues assembled into stylized scenes create a polished, dramatic visual panorama that is well matched by Aardema's onomatopoeic text relating how a mosquito's silly lie to an iguana sets in motion a cumulative series of events.
Folktale favorites. (1996, June 1). [Review of the book Why mosquitoes buzz in people's
ears, by V. Aardema]. Booklist, 92(3), 19-20. Retrieved from http://www.booklistonline.com
Library Uses:
This book would be an excellent addition to a book talk series for younger readers focusing on different types of illustrations. Students should look at the different types of art that resembles traditional artwork from varying countries and then choose a style to emulate in their own display using pastels or colored pencils.
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