Hello, Fall!

In this quiet story by Diesen (the Pout-Pout Fish series), a child and her grandfather reflect on their autumnal walk: “Squirrels were everywhere, digging holes and hiding acorns. We wondered: Would they remember all those spots later?” The pair—who, in Fleming’s gentle artwork, appears clad in winter coats—stop to eat apples, pick out pumpkins from the patch, and joyfully leap into a pile of leaves. All the while, they listen to the sounds that nature makes—the honking geese, laughing chrysanthemum blooms, and “red leaves talking to yellow leaves talking to orange leaves talking to purple leaves.” The grandfather and grandchild carry the warm memory home as they reminisce around a fireplace and, in a final spread, gather for a Thanksgiving feast with others. Diesen subtly conveys how experiences can be distilled forever in memory—and that this is something to be thankful for. Ages 2–6.[em] (July) [/em]