When Frost Is on Punkin

This poem celebrates autumn and its changes in the rural landscape from a young farm child's point of view. Riley (1849-1916), the ``Hoosier Poet'' and author of another once widely learned and recited work, ``Little Orphan Annie,'' is most often remembered as a ``dialect'' poet. Contemporary children will need this helpful background--included in a brief afterword--in order to better comprehend his idiomatic verse here--words such as ``medder'' for meadow, ``hosses'' for horses and ``furries'' for furrows, though mellifluous, need explanation. Further, few children in today's increasingly urban landscape will understand the repeating phrase ``the fodder's in the shock.'' Employing her trademark soft shapes, Lang's handsome paintings adroitly evoke the season's richness with economical detailing and blocks of deep autumnal colors. They feature a contemporary child and/or her playful cat on each page and, while not providing a word-by-word reflection of the text, their interpretation will be an aid to understanding. Ages 4-6. (Nov.)