Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People's Ears
Encyclopedia
Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People's Ears: A West African Tale is a picture book
told in the form of a cumulative tale
written for young child
ren, which tells an Africa
n legend. In this origin story
, the mosquito
lies to a lizard
, who puts sticks in his ears
and ends up frightening another animal
, which down a long line causes a panic
. In the end, an owlet
is killed and the owl
is too sad to wake the sun
until the animal
s hold court and find out who is responsible. The mosquito
is eventually found out, but it hides in order to escape punishment. So now it constantly buzzes in people's ears
to find out if everyone is still angry at it.
The book won a Caldecott Medal
in 1976 for its illustrators, Leo and Diane Dillon
. The artwork was made using watercolor airbrush
, pastel
s, and India ink
. The cutout shapes were made by using friskets and vellum
cut shapes at different angles.
It was the first of their two consecutive Caldecott wins; the second was for Ashanti to Zulu: African Traditions
.
This story is a resource for teachers to teach the skill; cause and effect.
"A cause is something that makes something else happen; An effect is what happens as a result of the cause" (Dell)
The idea that the mosquito is to blame for the unfortunate death of the owlet is an example of cause and effect. The actions from the other animals also offers several more examples of cause and effect as each animal does something that causes the next animal to do something. This chain of events finally causes the owlet to die. Therefore teachers can use this text to show students how actions (causes) make other things happen (effect).
The book was adapted into an animated short in 1984, and was narrated by James Earl Jones
.
Picture book
A picture book combines visual and verbal narratives in a book format, most often aimed at young children. The images in picture books use a range of media such as oil paints, acrylics, watercolor and pencil.Two of the earliest books with something like the format picture books still retain now...
told in the form of a cumulative tale
Cumulative tale
In a cumulative tale, sometimes also called a chain tale, action or dialogue repeats and builds up in some way as the tale progresses. With only the sparest of plots, these tales often depend upon repetition and rhythm for their effect, and can require a skilled storyteller to negotiate their...
written for young child
Child
Biologically, a child is generally a human between the stages of birth and puberty. Some vernacular definitions of a child include the fetus, as being an unborn child. The legal definition of "child" generally refers to a minor, otherwise known as a person younger than the age of majority...
ren, which tells an Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
n legend. In this origin story
Origin story
In comic book terminology, an origin story is an account or back-story revealing how a character or team gained their superpowers and/or the circumstances under which they became superheroes or supervillains....
, the mosquito
Mosquito
Mosquitoes are members of a family of nematocerid flies: the Culicidae . The word Mosquito is from the Spanish and Portuguese for little fly...
lies to a lizard
Lizard
Lizards are a widespread group of squamate reptiles, with nearly 3800 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica as well as most oceanic island chains...
, who puts sticks in his ears
EARS
EARS may refer to:* Electoral software* Electronic Arts, Redwood Shores campus.* Emirates Amateur Radio Society...
and ends up frightening another animal
Animal
Animals are a major group of multicellular, eukaryotic organisms of the kingdom Animalia or Metazoa. Their body plan eventually becomes fixed as they develop, although some undergo a process of metamorphosis later on in their life. Most animals are motile, meaning they can move spontaneously and...
, which down a long line causes a panic
Panic
Panic is a sudden sensation of fear which is so strong as to dominate or prevent reason and logical thinking, replacing it with overwhelming feelings of anxiety and frantic agitation consistent with an animalistic fight-or-flight reaction...
. In the end, an owlet
Owlet
Owlet may refer to:*A young owl*A number of small species of owls in the family Strigidae*A type of moth *A locality near the City of Bradford, England, Owlet, West Yorkshire...
is killed and the owl
Owl
Owls are a group of birds that belong to the order Strigiformes, constituting 200 bird of prey species. Most are solitary and nocturnal, with some exceptions . Owls hunt mostly small mammals, insects, and other birds, although a few species specialize in hunting fish...
is too sad to wake the sun
Sun
The Sun is the star at the center of the Solar System. It is almost perfectly spherical and consists of hot plasma interwoven with magnetic fields...
until the animal
Animal
Animals are a major group of multicellular, eukaryotic organisms of the kingdom Animalia or Metazoa. Their body plan eventually becomes fixed as they develop, although some undergo a process of metamorphosis later on in their life. Most animals are motile, meaning they can move spontaneously and...
s hold court and find out who is responsible. The mosquito
Mosquito
Mosquitoes are members of a family of nematocerid flies: the Culicidae . The word Mosquito is from the Spanish and Portuguese for little fly...
is eventually found out, but it hides in order to escape punishment. So now it constantly buzzes in people's ears
EARS
EARS may refer to:* Electoral software* Electronic Arts, Redwood Shores campus.* Emirates Amateur Radio Society...
to find out if everyone is still angry at it.
The book won a Caldecott Medal
Caldecott Medal
The Caldecott Medal is awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children , a division of the American Library Association, to the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children published that year. The award was named in honor of nineteenth-century English...
in 1976 for its illustrators, Leo and Diane Dillon
Leo and Diane Dillon
Leo and Diane Dillon are an American husband and wife team of illustrators. Among their awards are two consecutive Caldecott Medals for the children's books Why Mosquitoes Buzz In People's Ears and Ashanti To Zulu: African Traditions....
. The artwork was made using watercolor airbrush
Airbrush
An airbrush is a small, air-operated tool that sprays various media including ink and dye, but most often paint by a process of nebulization. Spray guns developed from the airbrush and are still considered a type of airbrush.-History:...
, pastel
Pastel
Pastel is an art medium in the form of a stick, consisting of pure powdered pigment and a binder. The pigments used in pastels are the same as those used to produce all colored art media, including oil paints; the binder is of a neutral hue and low saturation....
s, and India ink
India ink
India ink is a simple black ink once widely used for writing and printing and now more commonly used for drawing, especially when inking comic books and comic strips.-Composition:...
. The cutout shapes were made by using friskets and vellum
Vellum
Vellum is mammal skin prepared for writing or printing on, to produce single pages, scrolls, codices or books. It is generally smooth and durable, although there are great variations depending on preparation, the quality of the skin and the type of animal used...
cut shapes at different angles.
It was the first of their two consecutive Caldecott wins; the second was for Ashanti to Zulu: African Traditions
Ashanti to Zulu: African Traditions
Ashanti to Zulu: African Traditions is a 1976 children's book written by Margaret Musgrove and illustrated by Leo and Diane Dillon. It was Musgrove's first book, but the Dillons were experienced artists and this book won them the second of their two consecutive Caldecott Medals...
.
This story is a resource for teachers to teach the skill; cause and effect.
"A cause is something that makes something else happen; An effect is what happens as a result of the cause" (Dell)
The idea that the mosquito is to blame for the unfortunate death of the owlet is an example of cause and effect. The actions from the other animals also offers several more examples of cause and effect as each animal does something that causes the next animal to do something. This chain of events finally causes the owlet to die. Therefore teachers can use this text to show students how actions (causes) make other things happen (effect).
The book was adapted into an animated short in 1984, and was narrated by James Earl Jones
James Earl Jones
James Earl Jones is an American actor. He is well-known for his distinctive bass voice and for his portrayal of characters of substance, gravitas and leadership...
.