Count Down to Fall

September 1, 2009
PreS-Gr 2-Bold, full-spread illustrations with inset details feature a variety of trees and woodland animals in this informational picture book. As the facts about trees count down, the images represent the numbers 10 to 1, while corner insets show the tree, spring and fall leaves, a seed, and occasionally the flower of the specific tree pictured, such as birch, dogwood, oak, and maple. Children will be drawn to examine the expressive images of animals and find additional ones along the detailed border featuring close-ups of the tree's bark. This attention to detail makes the book more than a simple counting or seasonal book with both the four-line stanzas and art offering simple facts: "Six linden leaves/in Valentine shapes/reflect golden sun/in autumn's landscape." The counting pattern gets disrupted at three, opting for numerous "three-pointed maple leaves," and birch leaves shown falling "two by two." A spread, "For Creative Minds," includes quizzes and challenges readers to match facts with images, note specifics about leaf shapes, and learn about how plants support animals."Janet S. Thompson, Chicago Public Library"

Copyright 2009 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 1, 2009
Preschool-G Preschoolers are the audience for this picture book that folds a very simple counting exercise into a celebration of autumn's falling leaves. A cheerful rhyming verse on each double-page spread tells more about the season: the trees, the colors, the shapes of the leaves, and the animals in the woods. There are also some detailed facts aimed at older readers (and adults), who could share them with younger kids. Small corner frames illustrate more seasonal concepts, showing trees progressions from seed to blossom to fruit. The back matter includes interactive educational questions and answers, again with material for a varied audience: some questions about matching shapes and colors are quite simple, while some are more complicated, such as those about photosynthesis. A final fun spread asks, What good are plants? Tiny framed pictures and captions give answers with images of maple syrup, pine and oak furniture, and information about how Natives used the birchbark to build their canoes. A good choice for cross-curricular use.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2009, American Library Association.)