Review by Booklist Review
Motion and stasis mix poetically in this picture book about autumn. The title itself is a play on words that references foliage but also indicates the finite life span of a season. This duality is visualized on the cover, where children play by the side of a lake on a bright autumn day, while the reflection in the water shows the same children in winter gear, and the words of the title upside down. Each page is titled with two words, all of them including a variation of either the word fall or leaves, which gives the book an almost poem-like structure: Fall Arrives, Birds Leave, Leaves Twist, Rain Falls, and so on. Each title sets up a descriptive paragraph below, which provides the science behind what is happening. The text is accompanied by line illustrations photographed by MacKay inside a light box. The effect is ethereal and lovely and gives a sense of time standing still as nature starts to slow down in preparation for the winter. Instructions for making leaf prints complete this striking book.--Dean, Kara Copyright 2014 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 2-4-This picture book cleverly maximizes the different meaning of the title words to teach readers about autumn. For example, apples and leaves "fall," and when fall ends and winter officially starts, the temperature "falls," as do the first flakes of snow. Similarly, summer "leaves," as do the birds to fly South, along with leaves and flowers. Directions are included on how to make leaf prints. The ink and photography illustrations make for appealing landscapes, with two redheaded children walking through or playing in most of the scenes; however, the images do not often support all the ideas presented in the text. For example, the description of the earth's rotation (explaining the arrival of fall) is paired with an illustration of the children bike down a hill. Nevertheless, there's as much value in the wordplay as there is in the presented facts.-Joanna K. Fabicon, Los Angeles Public Library (c) Copyright 2014. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
Two children experience all that nature has to offer across a fall season in a northern temperate climate. Using clever wordplay, the text explores various indicators of seasonal change. "Flowers LeaveLeaves FallFall StaysFall Leaves." Two-word noun-verb phrases are featured prominently in large type; when read all together, they create a poetic description of the season. Under each large-type phrase, brief commentaries include additional observations about nature ("Fall usually brings rain, which makes leaves twist and squirm on tree branches") or explanations of the related astronomical and ecological principles ("Deciduous trees such as maples, oaks, and hickories make their own food. Their leaves look very green because of a substance called chlorophyll"). On facing pages, soft-focus collage illustrations with a three-dimensional effect depict the children biking, boating, hiking, and relaxing during some glorious fall days. The many observations of change include those in weather, plants and animals, and sunlight. It's the last that's most brilliantly captured in the illustrations, in which the glowing gold of early fall sunlight changes, page by page, to the colder blue light of winter. danielle j. ford (c) Copyright 2014. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Autumn arrives in a series of three-dimensional tableaux created from cut yupo (plastic) paper and ink; illuminated from varying angles, the vignettes are cleverly photographed and cropped for dramatic effect.A redheaded boy and girl play in a treehouse, bike through the countryside, watch birds take flight and dance with umbrellas in scenes that include intense light or brilliant autumnal colors. The duo is generally in sharp focus, while borders and backgrounds are blurred, a decision suggesting depth, motion or otherworldliness, depending on the composition. The text has two layers. On one level, the large, two-word concepts that function as headings on each verso could be read as the sole verbal narrative. There is a playful quality as a words meaning changes relative to its use as a noun or verb: FLOWERS LEAVE / APPLES FALL / LEAVES FALL / FALL STAYS / LEAVES LEAVE. Although this verbal chain misses some opportunities for more artful linkages, the real problem lies with the second layer of text. Holland tries to provide scientific explanations about the Earths rotation, chlorophyll, hibernation, etc., without the benefit of diagrams or much in the way of scientific context. The effect is a lengthy muddle of didactic distraction that is not appropriate for the target age or the ethereal illustrations.Skip the small print and linger instead on the seasonal glory unfolding as the pages turn. (activity) (Picture book. 3-6) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
