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AUTUMNBLINGS by Douglas Florian

AUTUMNBLINGS

by Douglas Florian & illustrated by Douglas Florian

Pub Date: Aug. 1st, 2003
ISBN: 0-06-009278-5
Publisher: Greenwillow Books

Florian continues his poetic examination of the seasons with this collection exploring different aspects of fall. He plays with both the concept of autumn and with the language commonly used to describe the season with lots of puns on fall/falling and poems with humorous titles such as “Hi-bear-nation” and “Naughtumn.” Some instances of poetic license will need interpretation for children by an adult: “Autumnescent,” “Tree-tice,” and “Symmetree,” while clever in concept, will not be readily understood without a mature reader’s perspective on the wordplay. The 48 rhyming poems include explorations of traditional fall symbols and experiences such as pumpkins, migrating birds in flight, and changes in fall leaf colors and weather. There is nothing traditional about Florian’s poetic style, however, and his crisp, colorful poems continue to surprise and delight the reader. His distinctive illustrations using watercolors and colored pencils complement the poems well, with a pair of tumbling children on the cover shown against a glowing golden leaf. (Poetry. 6-9)