Red Sings from Treetops

February 16, 2009
Anthropomorphized colors take charge in this fanciful book in praise of the seasons, from the collaborators behind This Is Just to Say
. An androgynous crowned youth, dressed ornately in triangular apparel, plays host as colors are woven into unrhymed poetry. In spring, pink is “hairless,/ featherless,/ the color of/ new/ things,” while in summer, the youth finds a companion whose headpiece is a cross between a crown and a cowboy hat (filled with fish, no less), and the two royal personages indulge in popcorn and lemonade on the dock of a bay. Fall strikes a more melancholy tone: “the wind feels black:/ star-spangled,/ full of secrets,” as an enormous whale blends into the nightscape. Broad swathes of color compose the seasonal palettes, juxtaposed with painstakingly precise designs. The effect is evocative of primitive antiques: fleur-de-lis, checkered print and scrawled calligraphy abound, creating an artful—if, at times, precious—display that works in tandem with the gentle musings of the imagistic verse. The regal elegance is sure to charm. Ages 5–8.

April 1, 2009
PreS-Gr 3-Through the seasons, this book personifies colors, starting with a red bird in early spring and concluding with it as winter ends. "In SPRING, /Red sings/from treetops: /"cheer-cheer-cheer", /each note dropping/like a cherry/into my ear." At first Green is shy, but in summer "Green is queen." "In fall, Yellow grows wheels/and lumbers/down the block, /blinking: /"Warningclassrooms ahead"," and in winter "Gray and Brown hold hands." Sidman encourages readers to experience color with all of the senses. Some of Zagarenski's mixed-media paintings are full of light and others are darker and slightly haunting, but the rich colors come to life on the page. The words and pictures depend upon one another and blend well to conjure up quirky, magical imagery. Children will find many small stories waiting to be told within the detailed paintings and enjoy looking at them over and over. This poetic tribute to the seasons will brighten dull days."Julie Roach, Cambridge Public Library, MA"

Copyright 2009 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from May 1, 2009
Preschool-G *Starred Review* The changing seasons have been the subject of many a picture book, but this one has a particularly unique take on the topic. Each season is explored in terms of how it encompasses colors. In the spring, Red sings / from treetops . . . / each note dropping /like a cherry/ into my ear. Green peeks from buds, and yellow slips goldfinches their spring jackets.Succeeding seasonsofferother opportunities for the colors to spread their particular magic. In summer, white clinks in drinks. The blue inwatertakes on many names: turquoise, azure, cerulean. Sidman also brings other senses to the fore. Old leaves and crushed berries smell purple. And though one might not associate pink with winter, it prickles: / warm fingers /against cold cheeks. All of these evocative images are matched in the imaginative illustrations. Stylized figures, intricately costumed and crowned, walk, run, and sail through Zagarenskis artwork. Youll find one in a tree picking juicy red apples andanother set against an expanse of white, building a snowman. Throughout, the mixed-media illustrations, including collage and paintings on wood, provide much to look at. And as the title implies, the colors that surprise on everypage do sing.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2009, American Library Association.)

July 1, 2009
Sidman rejoices in the way colors, and how we perceive them, change with seasons. In spring, shy "Green peeks from buds" while "Yellow shouts with light!" In winter, "Green waits / in the hearts of trees." Zagarenski's richly patterned mixed-media spreads add texture and extend the imagery, sustaining the playfulness of the text and its senses of awe, mystery, and beauty.

(Copyright 2009 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

Starred review from March 1, 2009
A poet known for multilayered explorations of nature (Song of the Water Boatman & Other Pond Poems, rev. 5/05) rejoices here in the way colors, and how we perceive them, change with the seasons. In spring, shy "Green peeks from buds / trembles in the breeze," while "Yellow shouts with light!" and "holds hands" with purple in the "bright velvet faces [of] first flowers." Summer's blue is "Humming, shimmering... [it] grows new names: / turquoise, / azure, / cerulean." In winter, "Green waits / in the hearts of trees," and gray and brown are "the only beauties left." Zagarenski's richly patterned spreads ("mixed-media paintings on wood and computer illustration") capture the poet's delight in the natural world, extending the imagery with fantastical details like a cardinal's notes in red, each "dropping / like a cherry / into my ear." Fabric patterns and bits of newsprint add texture. The artist's delicate style and surreal details recall Lisbeth Zwerger's illustrations as well as the paintings of Gustav Klimt. Sustaining the playfulness of the text and its sense of awe, mystery, and beauty, they contribute gracefully to the celebration.

(Copyright 2009 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)