Review: TURTLE IN JULY by Marilyn Singer

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Singer, Marilyn. 1989. Turtle in July. Ill by Jerry Pinkney. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company. ISBN 0-02-782881-6

2. PLOT SUMMARY
Turtle in July is a collection of nature poems paired with superb watercolor illustrations by Jerry Pinkney. Each of the four seasons is framed by poems from the bullhead, a type of catfish which lives “belly-down in the shallows,” whether he is hibernating, eating or spawning. Marilyn Singer introduces the seasons with a different animal narrating a poem for each season. The animals in this assortment of poems are those that one would relate to the season such as the deer running across the snow in the winter and the sleepy, sluggish bear waking up in March. One by one, the animals take the reader and listener through the months and seasons from January to December, where the cat curled up in her cozy chair informs the reader that “No cat I remember dislikes December inside.”

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
The pattern of words Singer uses in this collection reflects the nature of the animal narrating the poem. For instance, the deer mouse uses quick, short bursts of words which are written in a repetitive pattern spaced to show his hurried movements:
 “get going
    move
        hustle”
The timber rattlesnake’s speech is characterized by repeated use of the consonant “s” which makes one think of the sound of the snake hissing. When the warbler tells about finding a mate and building a nest, Singer uses repetitive words which make it sound like singing when the words are read aloud.

The beautiful watercolor illustrations by Jerry Pinkney add to the mood portrayed by each animal and season. With his characteristic attention to detail, he has captured the personality of each animal narrating a poem. The alertness of the barn owl with its outstretched wings and open talons reflects the words of the poem such as hush, sweep, wait, and snatch. The stillness of the winter day is reflected in the white snowy background across which January’s deer is running. My favorite is the cat who prefers the warmth of a lap or chair by the fireplace.

4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
BOOKLIST, starred review: "A book that is both fresh and engaging. The animal poems, framed by the seasons of the year, are sharply evocative. . . . Pinkney's glorious full-page, richly layered watercolors pulse with life. An excellent source for both poetry and nature units."
PUBLISHER’S WEEKLY review: “From the "January deer so swift and light" to the November beaver chanting "Mud, more mud, add mud, good mud . . . ," this collection of nature poems progresses through the year. Whether nose to nose with a busy beaver or in the muddy shallows with that bullhead, Pinkney illustrates these works with his splendid watercolors and a unique flair for patterns and textured spaces; his art is perfectly wedded to the verse. Ages 3-8.”

5. CONNECTIONS
This book of poetry would tie in well with both a Science unit on animals and a unit on seasons. After reading the book as a group, children could be given the opportunity to write a poem about how animals behave or about their favorite season. It would also make an excellent reader’s theater production. Children could even make animal masks to use as they read their parts.
 Other nature poems:
Yolen, Jane. Color Me a Rhyme: Nature Poems for Young People. ISBN 1590781724
Rylant, Cynthia. Night in the Country. ISBN 0689714734
Ebensen, Barbara Juster. Swing Around the Sun. ISBN 0876141432

Review: RED SINGS FROM TREETOPS: A YEAR IN COLORS by Joyce Sidman

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Sidman, Joyce. 2009. Red Sings from Treetops: A Year in Colors. Ill. by Pamela Zagarenski. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children. ISBN 9780547014944

2. PLOT SUMMARY
In Red Sings from Treetops Joyce Sidman presents a fanciful collection of poems about seasons and colors. The collection begins with spring and continues through the seasons, presenting their various colors in a fresh way that enables the reader to equate the colors with what they see, hear, taste and feel. The colors are introduced as they relate to each season. In the spring red is a bird singing from treetops and worms squirming on the road. In summer, red comes on a hummingbird’s throat and a beetle.  Red falls as leaves and crunches as apples in the autumn, and in winter red beats in the narrator’s heart and hops on treetops as a cardinal. Each color is introduced in a similar turn of phrase as they relate to the season.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
This is an enchanting book. Sidman uses language in a way which creates imagery that is very appealing to the reader or listener, allowing one to picture the colors in their “mind’s eye.” Phrases such as “black holds secrets,” and “purple pouts” attribute feelings to the colors. “White sounds like storms,” and “red whispers along my finger” give the colors a voice. These and many other clever phrases bring sounds, smells and taste to the colors bringing them to life. In this beautiful collection of poems, nature sings in the birds and trills in the insects.

The imagery created by Sidman’s words is beautifully represented by Pamela Zagarenski’s mixed media illustrations. The whimsical narrator and her pup, wearing crowns and dressed in the appropriate colors, travel through each season enjoying all it has to offer.  Colors in the illustrations have texture and depth created by a patterning which makes one think of fabric prints. Text is appropriately colored in a way that will help a beginning reader associate the color word with its corresponding color. Children will love the cute pictures of the baby birds, the pup, the raccoon and the lady bug.

4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
2010 CALDECOTT HONOR AWARD

NEW YORK TIMES book review: "It's wonderfully strange to read of colors with sounds, smells and tastes."
KIRKUS REVIEWS, starred review: "A charming inspiration to notice colors and correlate emotions"
THE BULLITEN starred review: "This book has a freshness and visual impact all its own, and it will inspire a rainbow of uses."
HORN BOOK, starred review:"Sustaining the playfulness of the text and its sense of awe, mystery, and beauty, the illustrations contribute gracefully to the celebration."
BOOKLIST, starred review: "As the title implies, the colors that surprise on every page, do sing."

5. CONNECTIONS
After reading this book to children, the students should be encouraged to say what colors they associate with each season. Do any colors have special meaning for them or make them feel any particular emotions? This book naturally leads into an art activity. Students could paint or draw a picture to go with their favorite color and write about it. This is ideal poetry to tie in with teaching seasons to young children and a great supplement to kindergarten and pre-K children learning their colors.
Other books to learn colors:
Lionni, Leo. A Color of His Own. ISBN 0375836977
Ronay, Laura. Kids Like Me Learn Colors. ISBN 1606130013
Other books by Joyce Sidman:
Sidman, Joyce. Song of the Water Boatman and Other Pond Poems. ISBN 0618135472
Sidman, Joyce. Swirl by Swirl: Spirals in Nature. ISBN 054731583X

Review: WHAT MY MOTHER DOESN'T KNOW by Sonya Somes

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Sones, Sonya. 2001. What My Mother Doesn’t Know. New York: Simon & Shuster Books for Young Readers. ISBN 0689841140

2. PLOT SUMMARY
Sophie is a 14, (almost 15), year old girl, who is concerned with her best girl friends and boys, boys, and more boys. This engaging novel in verse is written in a series of poems as if Sophie were writing in her diary. The reader meets Sophie after her break-up with her first boyfriend, and follows along with her emotional ups and downs with her second boyfriend, her close call with a weirdo she meets in a chat room, and her obsession with a masked mystery man she meets at the school Halloween dance. Sophie records her conflicts with her mother, and the humiliation of being the object of racial discrimination due to her Jewish heritage. The reader experiences the inner conflict that Sophie feels when she discovers that she has a lot in common with, and is very attracted to, the school outcast who everyone makes fun of; and then finds out that he is the mystery man.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
In What My Mother Doesn’t Know, Sonya Sones has captured the concerns and personality of a typical 14 year old girl. The verse flows freely and naturally as if you could almost hear Sophie talking. Each scenario is told in a different poem like a girl writing in her diary.This story is told in a way that doesn’t just gloss over the sad or difficult situations, but allows the reader to experience the angst felt by a teenage girl.  The words used by Sones in this poem create an imagery that lets the reader experience Sophie’s feelings as she rides an emotional roller coaster through the highs and lows of giddiness, love, lust, anger, disillusionment and everything in between.

 This novel touches in a very sensitive yet down-to-earth way on the concerns of a teenage girl and her friends as they share their important issues, (mainly boys), support each other during crises, and rejoice over good news. It touches on cultural diversity as Sophie experiences religious discrimination due to her Jewish heritage. It reveals that Sophie has a father who is emotionally distant even when he is physically there; and a mother who rides her own emotional rollercoaster. Sophie writes that every day when she gets home from school her mother is in bed watching TV, and sometimes her mother stays in the basement for days eating chocolate and watching soap operas.

Young teenage girls and reluctant readerswill love to read this book, because it is so fast moving and divided into short poems. I found myself wanting to read other books by this author when I had finished this one, and I haven’t been a young teenage girl for a very long time.  It is recommended for ages twelve and up. Some of the content would not be appropriate for a younger reader.

 4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY Starred Review: “With its separate free verse poems woven into a fluid and coherent narrative with a satisfying ending, Sophie's honest and earthy story feels destined to captivate a young female audience, avid and reluctant readers alike. Ages 12-up.”
BOOKLIST review: *Starred Review* “Sophie's voice is colloquial and intimate, and the discoveries she makes are beyond formula, even while they are as sweetly romantic as popular song. A natural for reluctant readers, this will also attract young people who love to read.” 
KIRKUS starred review: "A verse experience that will leave readers sighing with recognition and satisfaction."

5. CONNECTIONS
This novel is one that is very appealing to young teenage girls, because it deals with issues they face on a daily basis. It would be ideal for a book study designed to get reluctant readers interested in reading.
Other novels in verse by Sonya Sones:
Sones, Sonya. What My Girlfriend Doesn’t Know. ISBN: 0689876033
Sones, Sonya. Stop Pretending: What Happened When My Big Sister Went Crazy. ISBN 0064462188
Sones, Sonya. One of Those Hideous Books Where the Mother Dies. ISBN: 1416907882