Big Talk Poems for Four Voices

"Following his Newbery Medal-winning Joyful Noise, Fleischman offers another collection of beautifully orchestrated, spirited poems for many voices." BOOKLIST These rousing, rib-tickling poems demand the joy of reading aloud. Settle back and chant "The Quiet Evenings Here," as Grandma rocks, the clock tick-tocks, and no one cares a hoot for the world outside. Delight in "Seventh-Grade Soap Opera," alive with hearsay about who's holding hands with whom. This innovative book weaves a tapestry of rhythm that will have readers of all ages sounding off.

Paul Fleischman grew up in a home filled with books and music. "after years along on the piano bench," he says, "I learned to play the recorder and fell in love iwth the camaraderie of chamber music. Recently, I just joined my first string quartet. What joy! I've tried to bring this bliss into these spoken quartets." The author of many awardwinning books, Paul Fleischman lives in Pacific Grove, California.

Beppe Giacobbe was born in Milan, Italy, in 1953, and is a graduate of the School of Visual Arts in New York. In addition to teaching at the European Institute of Design, he also illustrates book jackets and, in his spare time, creates sculptures out of knicknacks and objects he finds while out walking. He says he is "a calm and meticulous man, who vents his emotions while drawing." Beppe Giacobbe lives in Milan.