2023 - '70's Immersion Reading Challenge

READING LEVEL: 4.0 AR POINTS: 0.5

Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People’s Ears: A West African Tale by Verna Aardema (1975), 1st Edition, hardcover, 27 pages.

A cute little story on an African tale of how the mosquito got to be such an annoying pesky little thing, always buzzing in people’s ears. When the mosquito tells the iguana what he saw, which was a farmer who was digging up yams as big as himself, the iguana doesn’t believe her nonsense and puts sticks in his ears and walks away. This starts a rollercoaster of trouble for a number of other animals as they cross paths with each other, creating various troubles for each. They are soon all called to a council meaning to get to the bottom of the animal’s problems with each other because the sun won’t rise until Owl hoo, hoo hoo’s at it three times. But, she is angry too. They boil it down to the mosquito who started it all. The mosquito, being afraid, and a coward, flies away and now flies up to people’s ears, asking if the animals are still mad at her, “Zee, is everyone still mad at me?” She ALWAYS gets an honest answer. KPAO! Yep! Looks like they are still mad!

Available to read FREE at Internet Archive:

https://archive.org/details/whymosquitoesbuz00aard ( )

Bright and colorful animal illustrations and the use of onomatopoeia add great interest in this retelling of a traditional african tale. In this pourquoi tale it is mosquito’s exaggeration that starts the chain of events that will lead to the death of an owlet, leaving the grief stricken mother owl unable to wake the Sun. The events will be tracked in reverse by King Lion and the animal council. They realize it is the mosquito who started it all, but he hides. Mother owl wakes the Sun. To this day, the mosquito’s guilty conscience has him whining (buzzing) in people’s ears to see if they are still angry with him. ( )

This is a cumulative tale about why the owl would not wake the sun. The story then proceeds in reverse to figure out what was wrong with the owl. In the end, it was Mosquito's fault. Mosquito has a guilty conscience and that is why they buzz in people's ears, to see if people are still mad at them. ( )

This is a timeless children's picture book that takes readers on a captivating journey through a chain of events sparked by a mischievous mosquito's lie. In this West African tale the consequences of deception unfold, leading to an accidental tragedy and the search for the truth. The illustrations are vibrant and the narrative engaging. The book offers young readers an immersive experience while imparting valuable lessons about the power of words, responsibility, and the interconnectedness of actions. ( )

I think that the art in the book is culturally appropriate, which I appreciate because it adds an extra depth when reading the book. I think that the story overall is a great way to teach children on cause and effect and to not spread “fibs” regarding other people/friends. ( )