In the autumn forest

PreS-Gr 3--Fox, Mouse, and Crow commiserate over the arrival of autumn. Crow croaks, "After autumn comes winter, and winter is unforgiving!" Squirrel enthusiastically embraces autumn, declaring "Look! It's raining lovely colored leaves." A sudden rainstorm leaves them all scrambling for cover, and they reassemble afterwards to find the squirrel had a mishap with an apple. This has not dampened the delights of autumn, and what the storm left: "The ground is covered in fruits, nuts, and seeds!" providing a feast for the animals and changing Fox, Mouse, and Crows' opinion of the season. Vivid illustrations in fall colors show the animal friends expressing their emotions as they meet up; spreads give way to single pages with half-pages and panel drawings as the friends seek shelter from the storm, then returning to full spreads as they come back together. The fall forest appears from both Crow's view and the animals on the ground. Tucked in the background, a person does activities in the woods. The end pages show colorful leaves being blown across the pages. VERDICT Invite children to join in Squirrel's joy over fall and all it brings to this group of friends. --Tamara Saarinen

Fox, Mouse, Crow, and Squirrel brave a sudden tempest. Translated from German, Kulot's simple fable begins with four animal friends gathering to bid farewell to summer, embrace fall, and lament the unforgiving winter to come. Squirrel, ever the champion of autumnal glory, blithely ignores the threatening clouds looming. The others find shelter, but Squirrel is caught in the whirlwind storm. Luckily, all the creatures survive, even if they're a bit tousled and ruffled. Squirrel's companions giggle as they extricate his head from an apple that got stuck to it amid the winds. But in the aftermath of the storm, steam rises, the sun shines, and the friends discover that the ground is littered with fruits, nuts, and seeds, the bounty of fall. The tale ends with Fox expressing the story's moral: While storms may take us by surprise, there are blessings to be found when the weather clears. Kulot's woodcut-esque digital illustrations are the star of the book. Everchanging facial expressions bring the four woodland creatures to life. The leaves in bright autumnal colors twirl on branches and float and fly through the air, while the clouds roil menacingly. The art and text work in tandem to evoke both a beautiful fall day in the forest and the power of a squall that makes trees bend and branches creak. A boldly illustrated tale with a well-delivered takeaway.(Picture book. 3-7) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.