Red Sings from the Treetops: A Year in Colors by Joyce Sidman

Sidman, J. (2009). Red sings from the treetops: A year in colors. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin       
          Harcourt Publishing Company. 

Red Sings from the Treetops: A Year in Colors is a poem that vividly describes the wonderful colors of every season of the year. The author begins with Spring detailing the all the ways red, green, yellow, and white are seen in nature during that season. She then follows with the colors of Summer, Fall, and Winter in equally beautiful and imaginative detail. The imagery created through the text is exhilarating and almost tangible. The paintings are masterfully aligned with the text throughout the book. Since this is a poem about nature, there are no real characters although perhaps the seasons could be interpreted as "characters". Red Sings from the Treetops: A Year in Colors would be a great way to introduce poetry to upper level elementary students because it does not rhyme which many students associate with poetry allowing students to see poetry in a different light. In the classroom, a teacher could use this book as a hook for a lesson on writing poetry and using imagery and descriptive words. Additionally, students could use this poem for a descriptive word scavenger hunt. Though I am not generally a fan of poetry, I appreciated this colorful poem for its imagery and unique illustrations.

(Photo from www.joycesidman.com)