Title: Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People's Ears
Author: (retold by) Verna Aardema
Illustrator: Leo and Diane Dillon
Grade Level Equivalent: 4.2
Lexile Measure: 770L
Genre: Children's Literature
Subgenre: Traditional Literature
Theme: Gossip can come back to get you.
Primary and Secondary Characters: the mosquito, Iguana, Python, Rabbit, Crow, Monkey, Owl, King Lion
Awards: The Caldecott Medal (won, 1976)
Date of Publication: 1975
Publisher: Penguin Group
ISBN: 0140545891
Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People's Ears is a West African tale about a gossiping little mosquito who causes a lot of trouble in the jungle, which results in the death of a baby owlet. After the death of her baby, the mother owl is so devastated that she cannot bear to wake the sun. This results in a council meeting called by King Lion who gets to the bottom of the situation by calling on every member of the disturbance and getting his/her side of the story. When it all is said and done, the mosquito is to blame but is nowhere to be found. The end of the tale has a humorous moral with the fate of the mosquito.
This is a classic book that has a place in any classroom. It would be great to read to children even if just to expose them to other culture's and their folktales. It can give children a look into how the people of West Africa got their legends and it tells why the people believe mosquitoes buzz in peoples' ears in a very humorous way. I can remember reading it when I was young and my daughter enjoys the story today. It has a really good moral that often goes unheard. All in all, it is a great story that children will love to hear and/or read themselves and the illustrations are very vibrant and fun to look at.
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