Goodbye Summer, Hello Autumn

A girl with brown skin, rosy cheeks, and a red scarf that billows out behind her walks through the landscapes of illustrator Pak’s story, his debut as author, watching summer turn into autumn. She travels through a forest and along a stream, then spends time in town before heading home. Throughout, she addresses the natural objects she sees, and they reply, telling her what they do as the season changes. “Hello, playful foxes and singing blue jays,” she says. “Hello!” they answer. “We are busy looking for food. Some of us are heading south to our winter homes.” Delicate hints of texture and shifting planes of quiet greens and browns transform slowly into a fall palette. By the time the girl returns home, the sun is going down, and the day closes with the first red leaf. The focus is on the natural world, but Pak (Flowers Are Calling) celebrates city life, too, with drawings of diverse townspeople—a mechanic, a man moving boxes—that show a rainbow of a community. It’s a thoughtful look at the kind of change that unfolds almost imperceptibly. Ages 4–7. Agent: Kirsten Hall, Catbird Agency. (Aug.)