Hello, Fall!: A Picture Book

by Deborah Diesen, Lucy Fleming (Illustrator)

Overview

A grandfather and his granddaughter welcome fall in this sweet, whimsical story about finding beauty and wonder in every moment.

Fall is here! Colorful leaves whisper to each other. Geese honk as they flock across the sky. Pumpkins listen patiently from their patch. The season announces itself in all sorts of ways—if you stop to say hello! From New York Times–bestselling author Deborah Diesen and illustrator Lucy Fleming, Hello, Fall! is a touching story of the autumn season.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780374307547
Publisher:	Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Publication date:	07/31/2018
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	244,851
Product dimensions:	9.20(w) x 9.20(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	2 - 6 Years

About the Author

Deborah Diesen is the author of the New York Times–bestselling Pout-Pout Fish series, illustrated by Dan Hanna, and Bloom, illustrated by Mary Lundquist. She currently works for a nonprofit organization and has also worked as a librarian and a bookseller. She lives in Grand Ledge, Michigan.

Lucy Fleming is the illustrator of the Dear Molly, Dear Olive books and the Piper Morgan series. She lives and works in a small town in England with an animator and a little black cat. When not at her desk, Lucy loves to be outdoors in the sunshine with a hot cup of tea—doodling, of course.

Editorial Reviews

08/20/2018
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)

Publishers Weekly

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

From the Publisher

2018-04-25
How do you greet a season?A young child in pigtails and an older man, presumably their father or grandfather, make autumnal observations and reflect on their adventure in this poetic selection. From spotting porcupines to watching squirrels, munching on apples to touching ticklish mums (the floral kind), and picking pumpkins to jumping in piles of leaves, this dazzling duo takes advantage of all that fall has to offer, greeting every element. In a whimsical touch, they may even hear the season laughing back. The main characters are white-skinned and rosy-cheeked, while some brown faces appear around the table at the end for a special feast. The narrative decision to use the past tense is an interesting if not entirely effective one, as a young audience is generally more focused on present than past. Moreover, the repeated use of the word "we" leaves some ambiguity about whether it's the child or the adult describing and eliciting memories about the events, and the tale concludes on a rather saccharine note: "Together, we savored the tender treasures we'd found when we greeted fall: BEAUTY, BOUNTY, WONDER, // And LOVE."Still, 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. (Picture book. 2-5)

Kirkus Reviews

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