I KNOW IT’S AUTUMN

The dedication page and the one facing display pictures of a pumpkin and a gorgeous spray of chrysanthemums, so readers know right away they are in good hands. Spinelli’s gentle rhymes and Hayashi’s cozy images take them through the season: jackets coming out from the boxes in the closet under the stairs; a farmer’s market in town; turkey stickers on spelling words; apple-picking and hayrides. Although the young female narrator clearly lives in the country, her yellow school bus and busy classroom will be familiar even to city kids. The details are just right, from the teapot on the breakfast table to the mail and keys under the window to the dog who is everywhere. This would go nicely with Cynthia Rylant’s In November (2000) and Douglas Florian’s Autumnblings (2003). (Picture book. 4-8)