Red Sings From Treetops: A Year in Colors by Joyce Sidman

Bibliography:

Sidman, Joyce. 2009. Red Sings from Treetops: A Year in Colors. Ill: Pamela Zagarenski. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children. 9780547014944


Poetry Book Summary:

This colorful poem picture book offers a whimsical explanation of the seasons of the year, in color. Together, author Joyce Sidman and illustrator Pamela Zagarenski present their idea of the four seasons and the season’s colors using harmonic words and beautiful artwork.


Critical Analysis: 

Sidman leads readers on a journey through the seasons with poetic color descriptions for each season: “Green is queen / in summer. / Green trills from trees, / clings to Pup’s knees, / covers all with leaves, / leaves, leaves! / How can Green be / so many different Greens?” Readers will not be able to help having a sense of happiness and curiosity from reading and viewing this poem picture book.  

This is yet another wonderful book of poems which begs to be read aloud to an audience full of young eyes and ears. The natural rhythmic beats of this work of art uses rhymes at the end of lines for added effect. Even without the beautiful, scrapbook-like images done by Pamela Zagarenski, the imagery in the poems speak for themselves. Each color poem paints a vivid picture of vibrant blues, reds, greens, purples, oranges and yellows in an effort to fully describe each season to the fullest. Many of the descriptions are so dramatically stated that the reader can almost imagine the smell of the season such as when the author describes spring’s white color: “White / can be quiet, too: / delicate petals fill with light / smell / White.”  

In honor of the month of October I would like to post my favorite poem taken from this beautiful book of poems. Reading this poem makes me think of pumpkin bread baking in the oven and warm apple cider on the stove. See if you can guess what the poem is describing:

(This poem is taken from the “Fall” poems section)
“Orange ripens in
full, heavy moons,
thick with pulp and seed.
Orange flickers,
all smoke and candles.
Orange eyes.
Orange cheeks.
Orange teeth.” 

Give up? It is a carved jack-o-lantern!

This book is recommended for children ages 4 and up.


Review Excerpt(s):

• Caldecott Honor Award (2010)
• Claudia Lewis Poetry Award (2010)
• Kirkus Reviews – Given a blue star for remarkable merit – (2009) “Fresh descriptions and inventive artistry are a charming inspiration.”
• Publishers Weekly (2009) "The regal elegance is sure to charm." 

Connections:

• Pair this title with other great favorites such as:
         I Am the Book by Lee Bennett Hopkins
         The Tree That Time Built by Mary Ann Hoberman, Linda Winston, and Barbara Fortin 
         Bookspeak! by Laura Purdie Salas and Josee Bisallon 
• Use a large poster board to section off four equal boxes to write the four seasons in. Write each color listed in Sidman’s book associated with each season and ask the child(ren) to list things which fit under each season’s color (under Fall and Orange they might say pumpkins, leaves, decorations and so on).
• Create a matching game! Using card stock, print pictures which are often associated with each season (for example: spring and flowers or butterflies or winter and snowflakes or scarves) and encourage the children to match the picture card to the correct season card.