My Autumn Book

In Yee’s fourth seasonal tale (following Tracks in the Snow, Who Likes Rain?, and Summer Days and Nights), the inquisitive girl from his previous books discovers clues that autumn is on its way. Sweatshirt-clad, she ventures outside to observe nature’s changes: “Dogwood shows off/ A new crimson gown./ Oak changes into/ A suit of rust brown..” An array of animals, from cicadas to geese “fly[ing] south in formation,” also sound reminders that summer is ending. Back in her bedroom, the girl fills a jar with acorns she has collected and creates an autumn scrapbook filled with leaves, drawings, and photographs, so that she can remember autumn “When crickets no longer sing late at night/ And the world outside/ Has turned cold, black and white.” Yee’s soft, grainy pencil drawings and contemplative rhymes celebrate quiet moments of exploration and discovery. Ages 2–6. (Aug.)