I Know It's Autumn When...
Written: Sep 19 '07 (Updated Sep 27 '07)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: ● Rhyming text
● Diversity
● Available in paperback
Cons: ● Simple illustrations
The Bottom Line: I Know It's Autumn would make a super addition to any preschool, or kindergarten class.
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| marybatson's Full Review: Spinelli - I Know It's Autumn |
Autumn is a non-season in Phoenix. I know that sounds strange, but Phoenician’s don’t experience fall like those up north. In fact, many keep winter lawns, as it’s too warm for snow. We do have deciduous trees that loose leaves like elms, mulberries and ash, but much of Phoenix is landscaped with desert trees that remain green throughout the winter months. Given that my son’s never experienced a real autumn, I introduce the seasons to him through books. I Know It’s Autumn is one we’ve enjoyed for years.
I know it’s autumn when the morning light comes late,
When there’s a pumpkin muffin on my breakfast plate.
When Daddy brings my jacket from the storage box,
And Grandpop wears a bathrobe and his slipper socks.
Written in rhyming verse, a little girl acquaints us with all the ways she recognizes the onset of autumn. Picking apples, raking leaves, and driving past an empty cornfield are some of the samples of the seasonal changes. The narration ends, when the child nods off after a fall evening around the campfire. I Know It’s Autumn is recommended for children 4 to 7-years, but my son was able to sit and enjoy this book at three. The text is short, as it only takes about 2-minutes to read aloud.
Nancy Hayashi’s watercolor illustrations are amateurish in a way. The scale is off in many of the views, plus the artist outlines all of her images with a charcoal, or lead pencil. The outline is distracting to my eye, but most people won’t be bothered by those details. The illustrations are colorful, and help to convey the little girls recounting, but they don’t stand on their own. On a positive note, Ms. Hayashi represents diversity in her illustrations, which I welcome, and think is missing in many picture books.
I like I Know It’s Autumn, as it expresses the autumnal imagery I’m looking to discuss with my son. It is a work that could be read before Halloween, after Thanksgiving, or anytime in between as neither holiday is mentioned. It would also make a super addition to any preschool, or kindergarten class as we read it often when William was 3 and 4. However, after reading it twice this month, my 6-year old is ready to take this book back to the library even though it’s recommended for children up to 7. There are plenty of short, 32-page books my son still likes, and explores on his own at night in bed, although most of those stories have fabulous, attention-grabbing illustrations, or humor. This work has neither.
Eileen Spinelli is a veteran children’s book author. She’s written many well received books like, When Mama Comes Home Tonight, Sophie’s Masterpiece: A Spider’s Tale, and Somebody Loves You, Mr. Hatch. This isn’t our favorite book on autumn, but as there’s so little written about the season itself (without mention of Halloween or Thanksgiving) I’ll give it a better than average grade, as the text is worth it, and I applaud the diversity Ms. Hayashi brings to the book.
ISBN: 0-06-029422-1
Harper Collins Publishing, 2004
Additional Autumn Accounts:
Pumpkin Soup
The Scarecrow's Hat
The Fierce Yellow Pumpkin
Recommended:
Yes
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marybatson
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Member: Mary
Location: Phoenix
Reviews written: 169
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We are all apt to believe what the world believes about us.
George Eliot
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