Red Sings from Treetops by Joyce Sidman

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Sidman, Joyce. Red Sings from Treetops: A Year in Colors. Ill. by Pamela Zagarenski. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. ISBN 0547014945

PLOT SUMMARY
Award-winning author Joyce Sidman brings colors to life while celebrating the seasons of the year via a medley of sight, sound, smell, and taste. Poems are accompanied by the fanciful and dazzling illustrations created by painter Pamela Zagarenski.  

CRITICAL ANALYSIS           
      Readers experience color as they never have before in this collection of seasonal poems seen and felt through the lens of color. Red “squirms on the road after rain” in the spring and “hops to treetops, fluffs its feathers against the cold” of winter. Yellow “melts everything it touches…smells like butter, tastes like salt” invigorating the sight, smell, and taste of yellow in the summertime. My favorite, Green, also finds its place in each season: shyly “peeks from buds” in the spring, “is the queen in summer”, “is tired, dusty, crisp around the edges” in fall, and “darkens, shrinks…waits in the hearts of trees” in winter.            

       Arrangement and language in short phrases and lines create a staccato rhythm of the poems with occasional rhyme –“Green trills from trees / clings to Pup’s knees / covers all with leaves, leaves, leaves!” Joyce Sidman incorporates onomatopoeia within the book with the “cheer cheer cheer” of the red robin’s song, the “BOOM!” of the white lightning storms in spring, the “Snap!” of the grey frog’s tongue catching a moth, and the “crunch!” of the crisp, red apple in fall. Highlighted, colored words and playful text placement add visual interest and balance to the full-page illustrations.

       Detailed, folk-art-ish, mixed-media illustrations by Pamela Zagarenski are created with acrylic, colored pencil, and collage usually painted on wood with some computer graphics. The whimsical and intricate creations directly complement and enhance the moods within the poems. Readers are sure to find a beloved color singing a favorite time of the year!

REVIEW EXCERPTS

2010 Caldecott Honor Award

2009 Cybils Poetry Award

Starred review in BOOKLIST – “As the title implies, the colors that surprise on every page, do sing.”

Starred review in HORN BOOK – “Sustaining the playfulness of the text and its sense of awe, mystery, and beauty, the illustrations contribute gracefully to the celebration.”

Starred review in KIRKUS – “This whimsical color calendar sparkles with creativity.”

CONNECTIONS
*Activity guide by the Junior Library Guild here.

*Invite children to think about their favorite color and how it makes them feel. Explore other feelings and their possible “color” match.

*Discuss the use of color personification within the poems and invite children to create their own.

*Another collaboration by Joyce Sidman and Pamela Zagarenski:

Sidman, Joyce. This is Just to Say: Poems of Apology and Forgiveness. Ill. by Pamela Zagarenski. ISBN 0618616802

*More award winning books by Joyce Sidman:

Sidman, Joyce. Song of the Water Boatman & Other Pond Poems. ISBN 0618135472

Sidman, Joyce. Dark Emperor & Other Poems of the Night. ISBN 0547152280

Blackbeard, The Pirate King by Patrick J. Lewis

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Lewis, J. Patrick. (2006). Blackbeard, The Pirate King. Washington, DC: National Geographic Society. ISBN 0792255852

PLOT SUMMARY

Fourteen biographical poems featuring historical paintings and illustrations tell of the legends, adventures, and often unlawful escapades of Captain Teach, otherwise known as Blackbeard, the Pirate –the “notorious seaman”.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS       

     J. Patrick Lewis writes about the myths, legends, and true accounts of Blackbeard as he sailed from Europe to Africa to the Caribbean Sea and finally the southern, Atlantic states. Lewis celebrates the “larger than life” persona of Blackbeard as “the most swashbuckling buccaneer of all” using rhyme and language relevant to the time that Blackbeard caroused, pilfered, and plundered the high seas.

       In some selections, the rhythm and rhyme flow effortlessly creating an instant and intense image –“The ghostly headless figure / Of Blackbeard, it is said / Still swims under the moonlight / Looking for its severed head.” In other selections, the cadence is more free and somewhat forced –“His visage shown / So frightful that it chilled his foes / Straight to the marrowbone.”

       The paintings and drawings included with the poems date from 1730 to the present and feature each artist’s interpretation of Blackbeard and his adventures; some are painted with shadowy, muted colors while others punch in fiery reds and vivid purples. Readers will appreciate both the timeline at the end of the book and the non-fiction additions after each poem that offer supplementary explanation of pirates, the symbolism of flying “colors” (flags), and Blackbeard’s exploits and final days.

REVIEW EXCERPTS

BOOKLIST review – “This poetry collection is a shivery addition to the cannon…er…canon.”

SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL review – “Share this collection with reluctant poetry readers and anyone fascinated with the topic.”

BULLETIN OF THE CENTER FOR THE CHILDREN’S BOOKS review – “The stylistic range of visual interpretations is impressive.”

CONNECTIONS
*Students can further research information on Blackbeard and write about his life. See more here.

*Aside from enjoying the poems and artwork, students can discuss unfamiliar vocabulary words and their use today.

*More books by J. Patrick Lewis:

Lewis, J. Patrick. Heroes and She-roes: Poems of Amazing Everyday Heroes. ISBN 0803729251

Lewis, J. Patrick. Spot the Plot: A Riddle Book of Book Riddles. ISBN 0811846687

*More books about Blackbeard:

Croce, Pat. Blackbeard. ISBN 0762436735

Weintraub, Aileen. Blackbeard: Eighteenth-Century Pirate of the Spanish Main and Carolina Coast. ISBN 1404255583

Rumpelstiltskin by Paul Zelinsky

BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Zelinsky, Paul O. (1986). Rumpelstiltskin. New York, NY: Scholastic, Inc. ISBN 0590056999
PLOT SUMMARY
   This is a pleasing and beautiful retelling of the Rumpelstiltskin tale. Wanting to impress the king, the poor miller claimed his daughter could spin straw into gold. She was immediately summoned to the castle, led to a straw-filled room by the king, and instructed to spin the straw to gold by the next morning or she would die. Distraught and frightened, the poor miller’s daughter began to cry. Soon a tiny, empathetic man entered the room and offered to spin the straw into gold for her in exchange for her necklace.
   The next morning, delighted by the spools of gold, the king led her to an even bigger room filled with even more straw. Once again, he told her to spin the straw into gold by morning “if she valued her life.” Again, the tiny man returned and spun the straw into gold for the girl’s ring. The king was amazed and filled with greed when he saw the “piles of golden spools glow[ing] in the morning light” and offered to marry the girl as he took her to a huge room filled with piles of straw.
   The tiny man appeared and once again offered to spin the straw. Unable to give him anything, the girl promised to give him her first child as he requested. The king and the girl were soon married and a year later had a baby son. Having long forgotten about the tiny man, the now queen was surprised by his sudden appearance. The tiny man had returned for the baby boy. The queen cried and pleaded with the tiny man. Taking pity on her, the tiny man offered the option to keep her child should she know his name after three days.
   The queen thought about all the names she knew, found out new names from “inquiries made in town”, and sent a servant to find and spy on the tiny man. Upon hearing his name, Rumpelstiltskin angrily shouted “The Devil told you that!” and quickly flew away never to be seen again.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
   Paul Zelinsky creates an incredibly appealing book with his elegantly written story and equally refined illustrations. The extraordinary color and detail offered by the full-page, Renaissance-style oil paintings offer a breathtaking background for the story, especially the expanse of the straw filled rooms, the elf-like, bizarre depiction of Rumpelstiltskin, and the gleaming yellow glow of the straw and gold throughout the book. One of my favorite illustrations also reflects the gleaming yellow glow, only this time in the golden flames of Rumpelstiltskin’s cooking fire when he is discovered singing and “riding on a cooking spoon” by the queen’s servant.
REVIEW EXCERPTS
1987 Caldecott Honor Award
AMERCIAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION (ALA) Notable Book
SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL Best Book
AMAZON.COM review - “A delightful book worth its weight in gold!”
PUBISHER’S WEEKLY review – “[A] sophisticated work that adults will marvel at, and that children will joyfully embrace.”
CONNECTIONS
*Teachers can read the story for enjoyment (!) and discuss story elements.
*Students can extend their learning by writing an alternate ending.
*Students can explore the meaning of their own names.
*More award winning books adapted and/or illustrated by Paul O. Zelinsky:
Zelinsky, Paul O. Rapunzel. ISBN 0525456074
Zelinsky, Paul O. Swamp Angel. ISBN 0140559086
Zelinsky, Paul O. The Wheels on the Bus. ISBN 0525446443

Los tres pequeños jabalíes/The Three Little Javelinas by Susan Lowell

BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Lowell, Susan. (1992). Los tres pequeños jabalíes/The Three Little Javalinas. Ill. by Jim Harris. Flagstaff, AZ: Rising Moon, Northland Publishing. ISBN 0873586611
PLOT SUMMARY
   A smart, entertaining bilingual adaptation of the classic European-American tale of The Three Little Pigs set in the southwestern desert. Three bristly javelina siblings, including a parasol touting sister (la jabalinita), set out into the cacti-filled desert to “seek their fortunes.” After being swooped up by a dust devil, the first javelina builds his home out of spiny tumbleweeds that are easily blown away by the trickster Coyote.
   The second javelina, unable to find shade from the brutal desert sun, settles on a house built from the dried ribs of a saguaro cactus given to him by a desert woman. The Coyote soon finds him (and his brother) in the saguaro rib house and asks to be let in to which the second javelina responds “Not by the hair of my chinny-chin-chin” (“Ni por las cerdas de mi bar, bar, barbilla” in Spanish).
   After the destruction of the house, the brothers run to the smart sister’s small yet solid house built from adobe bricks. Still hungry and not defeated, Coyote finds the javelinas and pretends to be old and weak. Unable to blow down the sturdy adobe home, the Coyote climbs to the flat roof to enter through the stove pipe where the three javelinas have lit the fire to the stove. After the fall and sizzle, the javelinas can only see a coyote-shaped puff of smoke and hear a “Yip, yap, yeep, Yee-oww-oooooooooooo!”
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
   By combining elements from the classic tale with coyote fables told by the Southwestern Indians, Susan Lowell creates a unique and engaging version. Story elements such as characters (javelinas, the coyote, the native woman, and the Spanish-speaking brick maker), desert climate and environment ring true to any southwestern desert. Watercolor, gouache, and colored pencil illustrations by Jim Harris are perfectly detailed yet amusing and flawlessly compliment the text. The well written text is presented in Spanish and English so the story can be enjoyed in either (or both) languages.
REVIEW EXCERPTS
PUBISHER’S WEEKLY review – “Clever and flavorful change of scene puts a diverting spin on an old favorite.”
SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL review – “Fast-paced and witty in both languages.”
CONNECTIONS
*Students can compare and contrast with another version of the traditional tale.
*Teachers can use the text to discuss desert environments: climate, animals, possible housing, and survival under harsh conditions.
*More traditional tales by Susan Lowell:
Lowell, Susan. Cindy Ellen: A Wild Western Cinderella. ISBN 0064438643
Lowell, Susan. Dusty Locks and the Three Bears. ISBN 0805075348
Lowell, Susan. The Tortoise and the Jackrabbit/La tortuga y la liebre. ISBN 087358869X
*Another southwestern version of the traditional tale by featured author, Eric A. Kimmel:
Kimmel, Eric A. The Three Little Tamales. ISBN 0761455191

Cactus Soup by Eric A. Kimmel

BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Kimmel, Eric A. (2004). Cactus Soup. Ill. by Phil Huling. Tarrytown, NY: Marshall Cavendish. ISBN 0761458328
PLOT SUMMARY
   In this vibrant and animated adaptation of the traditional Stone Soup tale, Eric Kimmel adds an authentic southwestern flair. Pending the arrival of a troop of soldiers, the mayor of San Miguel instructs the townspeople to hide all their food as “soldiers are all alike” and “They eat like wolves.”
   The townspeople busily hide their food including tamales, tortillas, and chiles. When Señor Capitán hears of the town’s poverty, he resignedly offers to make “cactus soup” slowly encouraging the addition of the hidden ingredients until an abundant feast has been prepared.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS   
   Eric Kimmel sets this cleverly adapted version during the time of the Mexican Revolution; a time when townspeople fought to regain political and economic power. The town of San Miguel is inhabited by a variety of authentic characters: men in huge sombreros, woman in long dresses, children, priests, mariachis, and the plump mayor, Señor Alcalde.
   Illustrator Phil Huling brings these characters to life including the soldiers on “prancing horses” with whimsical interpretations in vivid watercolors. A reader can almost “see” the lanky, relaxed bodies of the townspeople perk up when the soldier, Señor Capitán, suggests adding an ingredient to improve the “cactus soup” but quickly resigns, “Never mind…why ask for what you don’t have?”
REVIEW EXCERPTS
PUBISHER’S WEEKLY review – “Kimmel, ever the master storyteller, incorporates especially vivid cadences in the words of the wily, world-weary captain; but it's Huling who makes the story sing.”
Starred review in BOOKLIST – “A savory stew to serve alongside traditional versions of the classic tale.”
CONNECTIONS
*Students can compare and contrast with another version of the traditional tale.
*Students can discuss persuasion: what it is and how it is different from begging –just as the soldiers persuade the townspeople.
*More books on the traditional tale:
Brown, Marsha. Stone Soup. ISBN 1591127351
Forest, Heather. Stone Soup. ISBN 0874836026
*An even different take on the traditional tale:
Compestine, Ying Chang. The Real Story of Stone Soup. ISBN 0525474935

The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Selznick, Brian. 2007. The Invention of Hugo Cabret. New York, NY: Scholastic, Inc. ISBN 0439813786
PLOT SUMMARY
Hugo is a young orphan living within the walls of a Paris train station. Having learned about clocks from his late father, Hugo maintains the clocks at the train station for his absent uncle. He steals food to survive and small toys from a toy booth in the station for a secret project started with his father. As one story leads to another, Hugo finds himself involved in a captivating mystery with his secret project, an inquisitive girl, and a bitter old man from the toy booth.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
    The story of Hugo Cabret is an intriguing blend of text and illustrations. It is part chapter book, part picture book, and part graphic novel that tells a moving (both literal and figurative) story. The detailed pencil drawings and historical photos found throughout the book not only supplement the story but tell the story as if watching a movie. The illustrations are an integral part of the story that capture the darkness representative of Hugo’s desperation to finish his father’s work, his bleak, secretive life, as well as the excitement and anticipation of the movie discovery and his future.
    Guest reader, Reace (8), thought it was a great story because of the running chase through the train station at the end and the text-illustration story format that is different from the other books he reads.
REVIEW EXCERPTS
2008 Caldecott Medal Award
#1 NEW YORK TIMES Best Seller
Starred review in PUBLISHER'S WEEKLY – “Here is a true masterpiece—an artful blending of narrative, illustration and cinematic technique, for a story as tantalizing as it is touching.”
Starred review in SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL – “Breathtaking.”
CONNECTIONS
*Students can write their own word and picture stories. See Scholastic for more here.
*More books on mystery, movies, and machines:
Selznick, Brian. The Houdini Box. ISBN 0689844514
Mast, Gerald and Kawin, Bruce. A Short History of the Movies. ISBN 0205210627
Peppe, Rodney. Automata and Mechanical Toys. ISBN 1861265107

Millions of Cats by Wanda Gág

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Gág, Wanda. 1928. Millions of Cats. New York, NY: Penguin Group. ISBN 9780399233159
PLOT SUMMARY
An endearing story about a lonely old man and old woman. The old man ventures out to find a sweet, pretty cat for his wife but instead finds an entire field of cats. There are too many to choose from so he brings them all home! Unable to keep them all or to choose one from the billions of cats, the old couple allow the cats to decide which is the “prettiest."
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Known as one of America’s first picture books and a rare picture book recipient of the Newbery Honor, Millions of Cats paved the way for modern picture books. The basic black and white drawings and hand written text add character and interest to the simple story line while maintaining its sincerity. Gág’s seminal use of the double-page for carrying out illustration and text within the book has been adopted by many contemporary authors and illustrators. Children will enjoy the rhythmic, repetitive refrain in the story -“hundreds of cats, thousands of cat, millions and billions and trillions of cats.”
REVIEW EXCERPTS

1929 Newbery Honor Award
1958 Lewis Carroll Shelf Award (posthumous)
SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL – “One Hundred Books that Shaped the Century”
THE NEW YORK TIMES – “A perennial favorite.”
CONNECTIONS
*Teach children the recurring refrain in the book and have them join in when reading aloud.
*Children can draw and describe (verbally or written) the cat they find the “prettiest.”
*Other award winning books by Wanda Gág:
Gág, Wanda. Nothing at All. ISBN 0816644187
Gág, Wanda. ABC Bunny. ISBN 0698114388
*Also see recipients of the Wanda Gág Book Award here.

A Piñata in a Pine Tree by Pat Mora

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Mora, Pat. 2009. A Piñata in a Pine Tree: A Latino Twelve Days of Christmas. Ill. by Magaly Morales. New York, NY: Clarion Books. ISBN 0618841989
PLOT SUMMARY
   Author Pat Mora re-creates this traditional Christmas song by blending Mexican and American holiday traditions for the daily gifts from a secret amiga. Revealed at the end of story, the secret “amiga” is an especially delightful surprise for the family.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
   This is an engaging, rhythmically appealing version of the traditional folk song. Magaly Morales creates colorful, festive illustrations in vibrant acrylics that add to the excitement and anticipation of the daily gifts. The story features text in both English and Spanish. Non-Spanish speakers will appreciate the Spanish phonetic pronunciations included within the illustrations and glossary at the back of the book.
   My Spanish speaking readers (sons) enjoyed the cheerful illustrations, story, and included music notation although would have preferred the text to be entirely in Spanish without the pronunciations as they found them distracting. Although I do enjoy the insertion of a word or phrase in another language for emphasis sometimes found in dual languages books, I tend to agree with my sons as the strong Spanish rhyme of the gifts seems to overwhelm the initial English phrasing “On the (first, second...) day of Christmas, my amiga gave to…” However, considering the end, maybe the author wanted to stress the “amiga” within that phrasing.
REVIEW EXCERPTS
2010 Américas Commended List
HORN BOOK review – “[A] zippy spin on the ‘twelve days of Christmas.’”
PUBLISHER’S WEEKLY review – “A luminous holiday pick, especially for new big brothers and sisters.”
CONNECTIONS
*Students can learn to sing the song.
*Students can brainstorm additional special gifts from their own holiday traditions.
*Another favorite book about the Twelve Days of Christmas:
Knight, Hilary. The Twelve Days of Christmas. ISBN 0689835477