Hello Autumn!

Rotner follows Hello Spring! with an uplifting ode to autumn’s arrival. Bright photographs show multiracial children surrounded by pumpkins and other harvest vegetables, gathering leaves, and dressed in Halloween costumes, all accompanied by Rotner’s short, evocative sentences: “Change is in the air. It feels cool and crisp. The days get shorter. The shadows get longer.” Beyond what humans are doing, Rotner also pays attention to how plants and animals acclimate to fall: several animals migrate (a cluster of photos features a buffalo, whale, butterfly, and flock of geese) and others “get ready to go into a deep sleep until spring. Bees store extra honey in their hives. Bats and bears find caves. Some frogs will sleep in muddy ponds.” Rotner vividly captures quintessential aspects of autumn while emphasizing observable changes that are constantly occurring in nature. Ages 4–7. Agent: Abigail Samoun, Red Fox Literary. (Sept.)