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ZZZNG!
ZZZNG! ZZZNG!
a Yoruba tale
illustrated by
Teresa Smith Villegas
Orchard, 1998
New Spanish/English
edition from
Babl
Books, 2016
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*Anne
Izard
Storyteller's
Choice Award, 2000
*Starred
review,
Kirkus
*Featured
title, Bookbag
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| From
the book jacket: |
Who will marry Mosquito? She
sings a lovely song. Surely Ear
will be charmed? And if not Ear,
then certainly handsome Arm or
graceful Leg?
But in spite of all her efforts,
each potential mate rebuffs her,
turning her beautiful song into
an angry buzz. They may not take
her seriously, but Mosquito soon
discovers that there are other
ways of catching their
attention....
Splendid for reading aloud, this
classic African tale about why
Mosquito added some bite to her
buzz is illustrated with
strikingly lush and colorful
art.
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| A
little about the book: |
Editor Richard Jackson held this
story, an expanded version of a
classic African mosquito tale, for a
long time, until he finally said: I
still like it, but mosquito’s song
is bothering me. “Those verses are
not mosquito-like. They’re heavy....
No, what they would rather be is
fleet, sharp, short-lined, with a
little bite to them. Of course
they’re wheedles, but a mosquito
must wheedle in a particular way.”
My husband, champion mosquito
catcher and frequent collaborator,
came up with the perfect song. Dick
was happy with it––and the book won
a prize! With a silver sticker!
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| From
the reviews: |
"This
is a rhythmic, repetitive,
word-perfect retelling of a
traditional Yoruba tale. Well-suited
to the youngest of audiences and an
excellent 'story-stretcher' for
audiences of any age, this really
ZZZNGS!" Anne Izard Storytellers'
Choice Award, 2000
"Gershator's economical but engaging
text has repetitive refrains and
opportunities for group participation
galore; Smith's pastel and crayon
illustrations, with their saturated
colors and uncluttered compositions,
suit the readaloud, showabout nature
of the tale....a stinging good
storytime." The Bulletin of the
Center for Children's Books
"...The words of the insect's songs
spiral through the illustrations. Kids
will enjoy Mosquito's revenge and her
onomatopoetic verses....A strongly
executed version of a clever
how-and-why tale." School Library
Journal
“How did small, weak Mosquito get to
be such a big nuisance? This rhythmic
retelling of an African folktale will
have young readers all abuzz as they
learn the answer! The story reveals
that Mosquito was once only a harmless
irritation who made joyful, singsong
pleas for marriage. But after being
rudely shooed away by Ear, Arm, and
Leg, Mosquito angrily sets out to
prove that there is a lot more to her
than meets the eye and ear! Bold
crayon and pastel illustrations
complement this entertaining
read-aloud that delivers a valuable
message about respect.” Bookbag,
featured title, February/March 2001,
with lots of classroom activities.
One idea was
for students to analyze and
evaluate the story by completing
the following two sentences,
explaining their choice of words,
and then sharing their impressions
by reading the essays aloud:
"Everyone thinks that Mosquito is
small and weak, but she is really
very___________" because....
"I think Mosquito makes a [bad or
good?] choice when she decides to
bite, sting, and buzz because...."
“Children will laugh at the silliness
of Mosquito wanting to marry Ear, then
Arm, then Leg, share her frustration
at being rejected, and enjoy her
biting, stinging, buzzing revenge as
the bright illustrations transport
them into the world of traditional
fantasy....This is good read-aloud
fun....” Booklist
“Smith illustrates this alternative to
Verna Aardema’s classic Why
Mosquitoes Buzz in People’s Ears
(1975) with close-ups of striped
Mosquito, bristling with pointed
extremities, against backgrounds of
saturated blues and greens. A simple,
clever story that will not only be new
to young readers, but in this lively
recasting lends itself equally well to
reading alone or out loud.” Kirkus,
starred review
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