IN THE AUTUMN FOREST

Fox, Mouse, Crow, and Squirrel brave a sudden tempest.

Translated from German, Kulot’s simple fable begins with four animal friends gathering to bid farewell to summer, embrace fall, and lament the unforgiving winter to come. Squirrel, ever the champion of autumnal glory, blithely ignores the threatening clouds looming. The others find shelter, but Squirrel is caught in the whirlwind storm. Luckily, all the creatures survive, even if they’re a bit tousled and ruffled. Squirrel’s companions giggle as they extricate his head from an apple that got stuck to it amid the winds. But in the aftermath of the storm, steam rises, the sun shines, and the friends discover that the ground is littered with fruits, nuts, and seeds, the bounty of fall. The tale ends with Fox expressing the story’s moral: While storms may take us by surprise, there are blessings to be found when the weather clears. Kulot’s woodcut-esque digital illustrations are the star of the book. Everchanging facial expressions bring the four woodland creatures to life. The leaves in bright autumnal colors twirl on branches and float and fly through the air, while the clouds roil menacingly. The art and text work in tandem to evoke both a beautiful fall day in the forest and the power of a squall that makes trees bend and branches creak.

A boldly illustrated tale with a well-delivered takeaway.