In spring, Red sings from treetops: cheer-cheer-cheer, each note dropping like a cherry into my ear. Sleepy Yellow sticks to summer. Yet ocean Blue stays cool and alive. Green fades in fall, turns to dust, and no longer keeps Brown at bay. In winter, Pink blossoms on chilled cheeks. And Black echoes through the still of winter's night. But spring comes again, and Red returns-flitting and fluttering, bright as a Cardinal bird. Winner of a Caldecott Honor, this delightful book of free verse poems by celebrated poet Joyce Sidman is "a charming inspiration to notice colors and correlate emotions" (Kirkus Reviews). With each verse of Barbara Caruso's spellbinding narration, children and adults alike will appreciate the colors of the seasons. ". as the title implies, the colors that surprise on every page do sing."-Booklist, starred review
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"This is a wonderful book of poems that describe the colors throughout the year as the seasons change. Very appropriate for our latitude (compared to when we lived in Hawaii!), this book shows how nature's colors wax and wane and change all year. The poems are short and the illustrations are colorful, with lots of patterns and textures. I love that the poems are so expressive and paint a word picture that children can really grasp and appreciate. I listened as our oldest read these poems aloud; we really enjoyed reading this book together."
— Dolly (4 out of 5 stars)
" Incredibly gorgeous illustrations with vibrant colors for the seasons. A gem of a book! "
— Mary, 2/11/2014" "A year in colors" sums this one up. Descriptions of color imagery in various seasons. "
— Jean, 1/26/2014" Beautiful illustrations and lovely poetry. "
— Andrea, 1/25/2014" This is a decent book to read to young students learning about color. The author makes good use of colors on each page. "
— Glenn, 1/17/2014" Beautiful! Colors change throughout the seasons in this colorful, descriptive book. "
— Laura, 1/13/2014" Caldecott honor book. This book gives the reader a great perspective on every season. Covers sight, smell and touch senses as well a uses colors in the descriptions. Refers to animals and many other aspects of nature. "
— Katie, 1/11/2014" beautiful words and pictures. "
— Jennifer, 12/23/2013" This scrumptious poetic book feels like a piece of art! Beautifully written and beautifully illustrated. I am not surprised that the illustrator is an artist of sculptures and paintings as well. A book to treasure! "
— Rowlak5, 12/18/2013" good way to learn your colors "
— Bethany, 12/8/2013" A creative book of colors. "
— Nojood, 12/3/2013" too pretentious. "
— the, 10/23/2013" What a gorgeous writer! One of my favorite poets. "
— Marilyn, 10/19/2013" Really liked how the author uses the colors with the different seasons. Very colorful pictures! "
— Kim, 10/4/2013" A color book with much more than what you can see--it's a complete sensory experience of the seasons. Look for all of the ways that colors sound, touch, taste, and smell! Sidnman's picture book is pure poetry. "
— JaNeal, 9/4/2013" Caldecott Honor 2010 - I love the illustrations in this one and of course Sidman's poetry is wonderful "
— Alyson, 7/23/2013" What would red or green or blue sing like when asked to show what it looked like? One of my (new) favorite books for visualization in poetry. "
— The, 5/21/2013" I always thought the colors changed personalities through the year! The poetry captures the changes so perfectly and the illustrations match the mood of the poems. "
— Brenda, 3/23/2013" Among my favorite children's books. "
— Amy, 3/7/2013" I just didn't love this book. I know it is a Caldecott Honor book and I did like the illustations but not the text. "
— Inspired, 3/4/2013Joyce Sidman is known for her fresh, inventive poetry for children. Her award-winning books include Dark Emperor (A Newbery Honor Book), Song of the Water Boatman and Red Sings from Treetops (both Caldecott Honor Books), Butterfly Eyes (Cybils Award), and This Is Just to Say (Claudia Lewis Poetry Award). Born in Connecticut, Joyce now lives in Minnesota.
Barbara Caruso, winner of numerous Earphones Awards for narration, is an accomplished actress. A graduate of London’s prestigious Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, she was a featured player in the Royal Shakespeare Company. She has played starring roles on Broadway and in theaters across the country. She won the Alexander Scourby Reader of the Year Award for her performances of young adult fiction and has more than one hundred audiobook narrations to her credit.