I Am Phoenix: Poems for Two Voices [Paperback]

Paul Fleischman (Author), Ken Nutt (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 1 and up | Grade Level: 4 and up

At first light the finches
are flitting about the trees

Flittering
fluttering
flit
purple finches
flit
Fluttering
flittering
fly
painted finches
fly.

In this companion volume to JOYFUL NOISE: POEMS FOR TWO VOICES, the winner of the 1989 Newbery Medal, Paul Fleischman celebrates the sound, the sense, the essence of birds. Written to be spoken aloud by two voices, sometimes alternating, sometimes simultaneous, these poems perfectly capture the beauty of birds in their singing, soaring, and rejoicing.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

During a short career, Fleischman has received rave reviews and awards for his distinctive stories, radically different from each other. Here the author gives way to the poet, his alter ego, composing works that are arranged as duets but can also be relished by one alone, reading or reciting the lines as paeans to birds of various feathers. From dawn to dusk, Fleishchman keeps his ears attuned to the music and messages in the calling of finches, wax wings, condors, sparrows, the passenger pigeon (lamenting over its kin, murdered by the millions), finally the owl who owns the night. The doves of Dodono in Greece sing about people who beseech the goddess for answers; the wandering albatross thinks about shipwrecks, mariners swept into the ocean beneath the bird's wings. There are many other wonders to experience in the echoic, inspiring poetry. Nutt's splendid drawings complement and enhance the words in a singular book.
Copyright 1985 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

Grade 4 Up Fifteen poems covering the space of a day and the birds active during that day are designed to be read aloud by two voices. Each poem is accompanied by a handsome black-and-white drawing. The collection fails to offer any new insights and degenerates to the merely silly, especially if the attempt is made to read it aloud. The viewpoints expressed and the imagery used ("Doves of Dodona" or "The Common Egret") will mean nothing to most children. Wonderful, accessible poems about birds already exist. Why bother to clutter up the skies with "Warblers" ("Warblers warbling /Warblers warbling") when Edward Thomas' "Sedgewarblers" exists? The poem "Owls" ("Sun's down, /Sky's dark,") cannot evoke the mood of Randall Jarrell's poem "The Bird of Night." In this year of Audubon's anniversary, honor the beauty of birds with poetry worthy of thempoems found in collections like Cole's The Birds and the Beasts Were There (Collins, 1963; o.p.) or MacKay's A Flock of Words (HBJ, 1970; o.p.). Kathleen D.u Whalin, New Canaan Library, Conn.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 1 and up
  
• Paperback: 64 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins; First Edition edition (September 14, 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0064460924
• ISBN-13: 978-0064460927
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #38,573 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #8 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > Animals > Birds > Nonfiction
  • #16 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > Literature > Poetry > General
  • #23 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > Animals > Birds > Fiction

More About the Author

Paul Fleischman grew up in Santa Monica, California, the son of children's book author Sid Fleischman. Drawing on history, music, art, and theater, his books have often experimented with multiple viewpoints and performance. He received the Newbery Medal in 1989 for JOYFUL NOISE: POEMS FOR TWO VOICES, a Newbery Honor Award for GRAVEN IMAGES, the Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction for BULL RUN, and was a National Book Award finalist for BREAKOUT. He lives on the central coast of California.

For more information, visit paulfleischman.net.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Delightful, March 23, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: I Am Phoenix: Poems for Two Voices (Paperback)

The poems in this book are meant to be read aloud by two different people. Each person reads one of the two columns aloud and lines written on the same line are said simultaneously. This volume contains poems about birds.

My 9 year old son, who doesn't like to read out loud, loves to say these poems with me. It takes a couple of readings to get the cadence right, so this becomes a wonderful way to work on diction while having a tremendous amount of fun.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Unpoetical us, October 12, 2009

By 

G. Root "Extraordinarily ordinary" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: I Am Phoenix: Poems for Two Voices (Paperback)

We are a homeschool family with two students fourth grade and kindergarten-and-a-half. I ordered this and the author's other for two voices to promote an appreciation for poetry in all of us, but also to make reading look more appealing than it does to my younger student. It's working! I'm lazy. When I read poetry, I skip reading aloud for enjoyment, because it takes more time. Believing myself to be very busy, a conceit --since my days have as many hours as everyone else's, I also frequently fall into the trap of having only 'necessary' conversation with my children. Reading and rehearsing (yes, it takes a bit to learn to read them correctly) these poems engages us all socially. My oldest daughter and I are beginning music students, so I'm hoping this will help 'wire' our brains for ensemble performance. (But enough about us!) We've also enjoyed the content of both books--both words and pictures. Hope that helps.

5.0 out of 5 stars A truly wonderful collection of poems and voices., January 3, 2011

By 

N. Czaja "wild in ohio" (Springfield, OH) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: I Am Phoenix: Poems for Two Voices (Paperback)

"I Am Phoenix" is a great poem, as is "The Last Passenger Pigeon" and "The Common Egret". This book is so much fun to read aloud. Reciting a poem with a partner isn't as easy as it looks, but it's fun trying. My students enjoy the poems and we are able to discern the different voices of the birds ... prideful, sorrowful, joyful, etc. Get this book and the other poem for two voices about bugs -- when you get that one, enjoy "Cricket".