In the Middle of Fall

In a evocative companion to When Spring Comes, spouses Dronzek and Henkes praise the beauty of fall in full swing: “In the middle of Fall,/ when the leaves/ have already turned/ and the sky is mostly gray/ and the air is chilly,” begins Henkes in one of just two sentences that stretch across the entirety of the book. The quiet writing crescendos, and a gust of wind blows the leaves, “and all at once—/ everything/ is yellow/ and red/ and orange.” Dronzek’s smudgy, thickly outlined acrylics offer cozy perspectives on an apple orchard, a pumpkin patch, “frisky” gray squirrels in a tree, and a hillside where a girl in a red coat and yellow boots plays. It’s a rich homage to the season—both its blazing colors and the signs of coming winter darkness. Ages 4–8. (Sept.)