Red Sings from Treetops a year in colors by Joyce Sidman

A. Bibliography

Sidman, Joyce. Red Sings from Treetops a year in colors. Ill. by Pamela Zagarenski. Houghton Mifflin 2009. ISBN # 978-0-547-01494-4.

B. Plot/Summary

The author takes the reader through the year using colors in unrhymed poems.

C. Critical Analysis

There wasn't any rhythm and rhyme with the verses, which threw me off. The choice of words and placement made the sound, sound choppy.

The illustrations and word choice does a great job with imagery. The reader can associate color with a particular season. This leads to an emotional connection when the reader can "feel and see" colors for each season.

D. Awards/Review Excerpts

Randolph Caldecot Metal, 2010 Honor Book

Horn book Fanfare, 2009

Kirkus Reviews, Feb. 1, 2009 "Fresh descriptions and inventive artistry are a charming inspiration to notice colors and correlate emotions."

E. Connections

*Other books with similar subjects

Charlotte Zolotow, Seasons:A Book of Poems. Harper Collins 2002.

Christina Rossetti, Color: A Poem. Harper Collins 1992.

Students could make their own book and poem about the colors that represent each season to them.

This would be a great book to use in science for an introduction to the changing seasons and the effect on the environment and wildlife.