M5: Sidman Poetry

M5: Sidman Poetry

Red Sings From Treetops


Ivana Marmolejo


Bibliography

Sidman, Joyce, and Pamela ill Zagarenski. Red Sings from Treetops: A Year in Color. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children, 2009. 

Summary

Red Sings From Treetops: A Year in Color is a beautifully written book of poetry by Joyce Sidman. It takes the reader through all seasons of a year through the different shades of colors. It begins with red and ends twenty-nine pages later with red. The book is also vividly illustrated with pictures that match the color of the stanza on each page. The illustrated character’s outfit also changes based on the color depicted in each stanza. The insides of the book jacket feature a synopsis in the front and information about the author and illustrator in the back. 

Analysis

This book of poetry can be enjoyed by all readers. Readers will enjoy realizing how vibrant the colors are during each season. The tone is cheerful, hopeful, peaceful, and pleasant. By the end of the book, the reader will feel like they’ve lived through an entire year of all four seasons in a short read.

The book also has detailed illustrations that focus on a single color and time of year or season. For example, when brown was the color of a particular stanza, the illustration showed brown tree stumps, brown forestry ground, a brown ladder and door, brown coats and scarves, etc. Readers will also enjoy studying the character’s outfit. For each stanza, the outfit changes based on the color of the poem, and the outfits have much detail for readers to analyze closely. 

The book’s best feature is figurative language. The book is filled with personification. An example of personification and a simile is, “Red sings/ from treetops:/ cheer-cheer-cheer, each note dropping/ like a cherry/ into my ear.” Another example of personification is, “White can be quiet, too.” Onomatopoeia is also used throughout the book, “cheer-cheer-cheer, BOOM! Snap! Crunch! thump-thump-thump.” Children will enjoy how effortlessly the author weaves together different types of figurative language for each stanza on each page.

Excerpt and Use

We would read the entire book together. However, as a challenge, I’d like students to discuss colors that are not readily identified as a favorite or beautiful color. Students could pick colors such as black, brown, white, mustard yellow, or others. Then, as a challenge, I’d like students to each write their own stanza about a season or time of year where they can find the beauty of that color in that season or time of year. Students would use the brown stanza as an example, featured below. 

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