RED SINGS FROM TREETOPS by Joyce Sidman

Bibliography

Sidman, Joyce. 2009. Red Sings from Treetops: A Year in Colors. Ill by Pamela Zagarenski. New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. ISBN 0547014945

Summary

This is a story of the seasons. It is told in poems, using color as the main component to describe what can be seen, felt, and tasted throughout the year.

Critical Analysis

This poem in cleverly crafted, bringing color to life by involving more than just the sense of sight.  “Yellow . . . smells like butter,” describes sweet summer corn. “The wind feels black,” in fall. Colors are even personified when “green is tired . . . green sighs with relief,” as summer comes to an end and other colors take over. By bringing out the best and unique qualities of each season, the reader is left seeing and feeling the beauty of the earth as one season fades into the next.

While this poem does not follow a pattern, it reads smoothly. The punctuation and pauses add a perfectly timed dramatic element. When reading, the word choice seems so natural, but taking a closer look it is obvious the care that was taken to choose just the right words to heighten all of the senses on every page. Onomatopoeia and alliteration are both used throughout the poem, but not overused, simply highlighting certain sections.

The illustrations in this book are immaculate. On every page, the focus color is highlighted in both text and by using various hues of that color, with minimum of other colors used simply to add a spark of contrast. Word to describe the color or shape of various objects or the names of the seasons are seamlessly woven into illustrations adding a whole other dimension to the illustrations as they complement the poem.

Review Excerpts

2010 Caldecott Honor Book

2010 ALA Notable Books for Children Award winner

School Library Journal - "This poetic tribute to the seasons will brighten dull days." – Julie Roach

Booklist - "As the title implies, the colors that surprise on every page do sing." – Ilene Cooper

Connections

At a foundational level, this book can be used to introduce colors and connecting those colors to the real world. After reading, the children can go outside and find objects of different colors. Either by collecting them or taking pictures, a book can be created using the found objects.

Connect to science. It could be used at a variety of levels when looking at the different aspects of the seasons. There is also vocabulary used, such as the waxing and waning of the moon that could be used as a literary connection to a scientific concept.

This book can be used as an example of how words can be used to strengthen the craft of writing – in both poetry and prose – by activating all the senses through careful word choice.