Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People's Ears Summary & Key Insights

Verna Aardema's "Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People's Ears," beautifully illustrated by Leo and Diane Dillon, is a cumulative tale explaining the source of a mosquito's incessant buzzing. The story unfolds through a chain of escalating events, each triggered by a misunderstanding or miscommunication within a vibrant African community of animals.

The story begins with an old woman grinding her corn. A little bird, perched nearby, drops a grinding stone, startling the old woman who cries out. This, in turn, causes a big lizard to jump, upsetting a sleeping father who shouts in surprise. The noise disturbs a mother hen, causing her to leap and tumble into a basket of eggs, breaking them. The distraught hen then runs into the Old Woman's house.

The escalating chain of events continues. The hen's frantic escape frightens a goat, who kicks over a pot, startling the child, whose cry alarms the father, causing him to fall into the river, ultimately upsetting the hippopotamus. Each character reacts with increasing alarm, their actions amplified by their fears and misconceptions.

The climactic event involves a bull, whose loud bellow causes a great commotion in the entire village. The final straw is the mosquito who, irritated by all the noise, starts buzzing incessantly. The story concludes with the mosquito's buzzing explained as a direct result of the original mishap – the dropped grinding stone. The final page shows the old woman calmly picking up the stone and restarting her task. The narrative then implies that all the animals have now learned a lesson in caution and calmness.

The key characters, although numerous, each represent a facet of community life and the consequences of impulsive reactions. The old woman, the bird, the lizard, the father, the hen, the goat, the child, the bull, and the hippopotamus, all contribute to the escalating chain of events. The mosquito, though seemingly insignificant, becomes the symbol of the consequences of uncontrolled responses.

The overarching themes revolve around the importance of communication, responsibility, and the ripple effect of actions. The story highlights how a simple mistake can trigger a chain reaction with far-reaching and unexpected consequences. It emphasizes the interconnectedness of the community and underscores the need for calm, rational responses instead of panicked reactions. The cumulative structure of the narrative effectively demonstrates this escalating chain, making the moral of the story easily accessible to young readers. The illustrations by the Dillons are intrinsically linked to the narrative, vividly depicting the bustling African landscape and the emotional reactions of the characters, enriching the storytelling experience.