Pick a Circle, Gather Squares: A Harvest of Shapes

Chernesky debuts with an autumnal picture book that prompts readers to find shapes in a pumpkin patch as they accompany a visiting family. “Gather ovals! Squash and corn./ Speckled eggs nest in the barn,” she writes as Swan deploys an array of patterns and textures—wood grain, filigree, photographs of hay—in a interior scene with plenty of ovoid eggs, prize ribbons, and corn kernels for kids to point out. Chicken wire hexagons, a triangular slice of apple pie, and scarecrows dressed in polka dots and plaid add to the homey, down-on-the-farm mood, and Chernesky’s bubbly rhymes keep the story moving swiftly. Ages 4–7. Author’s agent: Susan Hawk, the Bent Agency. (Sept.)