Book Review (Poetry): Red Sings from Treetops

Bibliography
Sidman, Joyce. 2009. RED SINGS FROM TREETOPS: A YEAR IN COLORS. Illus. Pamela Zagarenski. Houghton Mifflin Books for Children: Boston, MA. ISBN 9780547014944

Summary
This poetry book takes the reader through the four seasons while combining the sights, sounds, feels, smells, and tastes through colors.

Critical Analysis
Red Sings from Treetops immerses the reader in a journey through the seasons using colors to bring depth, thought, and feeling to the world in a poetic way. By using free verse poetry, Sidman is able to practically draw the reader into the seasons in  fresh, creative way. The structure and rhythm of the poem guide the reader through the seasons by using colors to associate with that season. For example, the color purple is used in the fall:

Fall smells
Purple:
old leaves, crushed berries,
squishy plums with worms in them.
Purple: the smell
of all things
mixed together.

The illustrations in this book are beautiful and capture the imagination. It is worthwhile to spend time soaking in the images that Zagarenski created using mixed media and gorgeous paints. The illustrations reflect the story and add continuity to the poem; there is even a hidden red bird on each page. Even without the illustrations, the images that are created in the mind are thought-provoking and striking and drop the reader into the scene. Older children will be able to understand the poem at a deeper level with the imagery, whereas this book would be an excellent resource for younger students for learning colors and seasons at a superficial level.

Review Excerpt and Awards
Describing seasons by colors is not an original concept, but this whimsical color calendar sparkles with creativity. Zagarenski's mixed-media paintings on wood and computer illustration have a European folk-art style. The described hues are block-highlighted in the text while the artwork details the imagery in the words. A woman and her white dog, both wearing paper crowns, wander through the four seasons, observing nature's palette: "In summer, / BLUE grows new names: / turquoise, / azure, / cerulean." A red bird flying across the pages becomes a continuity motif. In summer, RED is a delicate hummingbird; in fall, "RED swells / on branches bent low. / RED: crisp, juicy, / crunch!" In winter, "RED hops to treetops / ...begins to sing: / and each note drops / like a cherry / into / my / ear." The seasons flow into each other, bringing readers full circle. Fresh descriptions and inventive artistry are a charming inspiration to notice colors and correlate emotions. Details in the artwork will invite repeated readings and challenge kids to muse about other color icons. Kirkus Reviews, 2009

Claudia Lewis Award, 2010
Cybil Award, 2009
Randolph Caldecott Medal, 2010

Strengths and Weaknesses
The strength of this poetry book is the images that are created in the readers mind and how the author allows the reader to practically see, hear, smell, taste, and touch the seasons using colors. Also, the illustrations are stunning and reflect the poem in a beautiful and creative way. One of the weaknesses of the book is that the poem is almost too much to soak in at one reading. It almost needs to be chunked or else the reader might become overwhelmed by the imagery.

Personal Response and Connections
I was amazed at how colors were personfied in this poem; for example, Sidman describes the spring as "yellow and purple holding hands." I could clearly imagine these colors in my mind, and Zagarenski also gave life to these images through her illustrations.

One of the activities that could be done with this book is to have students close their eyes as sections of the poem are read, then have them draw what they picture in their mind, and then complete the activity by seeing how the illustration of the book compares to their own drawing.