July 17, 2017
Rotner follows Hello Spring! with an uplifting ode to autumn’s arrival. Bright photographs show multiracial children surrounded by pumpkins and other harvest vegetables, gathering leaves, and dressed in Halloween costumes, all accompanied by Rotner’s short, evocative sentences: “Change is in the air. It feels cool and crisp. The days get shorter. The shadows get longer.” Beyond what humans are doing, Rotner also pays attention to how plants and animals acclimate to fall: several animals migrate (a cluster of photos features a buffalo, whale, butterfly, and flock of geese) and others “get ready to go into a deep sleep until spring. Bees store extra honey in their hives. Bats and bears find caves. Some frogs will sleep in muddy ponds.” Rotner vividly captures quintessential aspects of autumn while emphasizing observable changes that are constantly occurring in nature. Ages 4–7. Agent: Abigail Samoun, Red Fox Literary.
September 1, 2017
PreS-Gr 2-Children will learn to cherish the fall season after reading Rotner's latest. Autumn is presented as a time of change and transformation: birds start to journey south, the air cools down, and the sun's time in the sky grows shorter and shorter each day. Rotner manages to keep the text light while also injecting valuable information: "Acorns and pinecones scatter on the forest floor. Maple seeds twirl to the ground"-all of this so that trees and plants can grow in the spring. There are also nice bits of alliteration, "Swallows swoop." Rotner's high quality and vibrant photographs depict children interacting with pumpkins, apples, leaves, and more in a warm palette of yellows, browns, and reds. An ending "Autumn Facts" provides further information about the processes mentioned in the text, notably why leaves turn colors. The bright orange font and playful tone make this ideal for a classroom read-aloud activity. The title is also great for encouraging tactile learning and exploration; kids will be begging to go outside and experience the season for themselves. VERDICT An artful and informative addition to early nonfiction nature collections.-Kathia Ibacache, Simi Valley Public Library, CA
Copyright 2017 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
July 15, 2017
Rotner follows Hello Spring (2017) with this salute to the fall season.Name a change seen in northern climes in fall, and Rotner likely covers it here, from plants, trees, and animals to the food we harvest: seeds are spread, the days grow shorter and cooler, the leaves change and fall (and are raked up and jumped in), some animals migrate, and many families celebrate Halloween and Thanksgiving. As in the previous book, the photographs (presented in a variety of sizes and layouts, all clean) are the stars here, displaying both the myriad changes of the season and a multicultural array of children enjoying the outdoors in fall. These are set against white backgrounds that make the reddish-orange print pop. The text itself uses short sentences and some solid vocabulary (though "deep sleep" is used instead of "hibernate") to teach readers the markers of autumn, though in the quest for simplicity, Rotner sacrifices some truth. In several cases, the addition of just a few words would have made the following oversimplified statements reflect reality: "Birds grow more feathers"; "Cranberries float and turn red." Also, Rotner includes the statement "Bees store extra honey in their hives" on a page about animals going into deep sleep, implying that honeybees hibernate, which is false. Bruce Goldstone's Awesome Autumn (2012) is still the gold standard. (Informational picture book. 4-7)
COPYRIGHT(2017) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
January 1, 2018
Through clear prose and gorgeous, full-color pictures, Rotner captures and celebrates the vibrant changes of fall in this photo-essay. The text describes plant and animal behavior, weather changes, and human customs (including brief mentions of Halloween and Thanksgiving). As usual, Rotner's splendid photographs, featuring a diverse group of children, are delightful. Brief "Autumn Facts" are appended.
(Copyright 2018 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)