Hello, Fall!: A Picture Book

In this quiet story by Diesen (the Pout-Pout Fish series), a child and her grandfather reflect on their autumnal walk: "Squirrels were everywhere, digging holes and hiding acorns. We wondered: Would they remember all those spots later?" The pair--who, in Fleming's gentle artwork, appears clad in winter coats--stop to eat apples, pick out pumpkins from the patch, and joyfully leap into a pile of leaves. All the while, they listen to the sounds that nature makes--the honking geese, laughing chrysanthemum blooms, and "red leaves talking to yellow leaves talking to orange leaves talking to purple leaves." The grandfather and grandchild carry the warm memory home as they reminisce around a fireplace and, in a final spread, gather for a Thanksgiving feast with others. Diesen subtly conveys how experiences can be distilled forever in memory--and that this is something to be thankful for. Ages 2-6. (July)

"The story's lyricism and warmth, coupled with the colorful, cartoonlike illustrations, will leave readers with a smile and perhaps some interesting observations of their own about the magic of fall." —Kirkus Reviews

"The now legendary candle test for toxic gases and the first peek through the ancient door at 'wonderful things!' is certainly the anticipated climax here, but Fern turns the biographical run-up into a story nearly as fascinating and just as important . . . Kulikov's signature hashed line and watercolor artwork is rife with wry humor, an imaginative fusion of literal and symbolic scenes, detailed maps and cartouches, inventively bordered and collaged compositions." —VOYA

"Diesen subtly conveys how experiences can be distilled forever in memory—and that this is something to be thankful for." —Publishers Weekly

"This joyful ode to autumn will be a welcome seasonal selection for its multigenerational friendship and celebration of the natural world." —School Library Journal