Hocus Pocus, It’s Fall!

O’Brien and Gal maintain that there’s something downright magical in the changing seasons in this follow-up to Abracadabra, It’s Spring! Gentle rhymes—broken up by phrases like “Open sesame!” and “Razzle dazzle!”—highlight cooling temperatures, the donning of sweaters, migrating birds, and other autumnal standbys; lifting full-page flaps reveals the completed rhymes while underscoring the idea that something special has taken place. In one scene, two children stare out over a green forest from their tree house; lifting the flap reveals a landscape transformed by vibrant orange, scarlet, and golden foliage (“Leaves on trees are green and bright./ Abracadbra!/ What a sight!”). Gal’s cozy mixed-media images feel simultaneously retro and contemporary, a subtle reminder that autumn’s pleasures are evergreen (so to speak). Ages 3–5. [em]Author’s agent: Lara Perkins, Andrea Brown Literary. Illustrator’s agency: Morgan Gaynin. (Aug.) [/em]