It’s official!
According to the calendar (if not the 86 degree weather forecast) it is autumn!
Time for foliage that makes even rainy days bright, wooly sweaters, apple crisp, and the tang of woodsmoke in the air 🙂
And little piggies on park benches, apparently!
I was lucky enough to have lunch with my dear friend, the delightful Elaine of Kidlit411 fame, yesterday and outside on the bench was this cutie-pie little piggy. Her name is Missy Lou. She is 4 months old and is a teacup pig so she won’t grow much bigger than this. Infinitely pick-up-and-cuddleable and already litter box trained. Who knew???!!! I think I’m a little in love 🙂
There are no little piggies in my Perfect Picture Book for today (more’s the pity 🙂 ) but I knew you guys would want to see her anyway 🙂
Now then, onto today’s Perfect Picture Book which, in spite of its dearth of little piggies, is a lovely book about welcoming autumn!
Title: Goodbye Summer, Hello Autumn
Written & Illustrated By: Kenard Pak
Henry Holt & Co, August 2016, fiction based on fact
Suitable For Ages: publisher says 4-7, but I think 3-7 would also work.
Themes/Topics: seasons (summer, autumn), nature
Opening: “Hello, late summer morning.”
Brief Synopsis: A child takes a walk greeting the trees, birds, animals, insects, and even weather as he goes, and each one tells him how it is preparing for autumn.
Links To Resources: brainstorm a list of signs of autumn; take a walk outdoors and look for signs of autumn; press leaves; make leaf collages; animal leaf collage (the few words are in Spanish but it’s a video and everything is demonstrated so you can understand no problem and the animals are cute 🙂 ); go apple or pumpkin picking; make delicious things out of apples and pumpkins :); apple recipes
Why I Like This Book: This is a lovely simple book about observing the way summer melts into autumn and how nature prepares. The child talks to the elements of nature – trees and flowers, animals, birds and insects, even the weather – and they answer back.
“Hello, trees.”
“Hello! Now that the cool winds have come,
we love how our branches sway in the sun.”
The art is lovely – the vivid greens of summer turning into the gold, orange, red and brown of fall with each successive page. A simple pretty book to facilitate discussion and understanding of the changing season.
Text and Illustration Copyright Kenard Pak 2016
I hope you enjoy it as much as I do 🙂
For the complete list of books with resources, please visit Perfect Picture Books.
PPBF folks, please add your titles and post-specific links (and any other info you feel like filling out 🙂 ) to the form below so we can all come see what fabulous picture books you’ve chosen to share this week!
Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!!! 🙂 Go pick some apples and then come back here and share your favorite apple recipes 🙂
Susanna Leonard Hill 
WOW…you are an early bird today, Susanna..or maybe, like me, you haven’t been to sleep yet. I knew I’d need to keep going tonight or otherwise, this wasn’t going to get done.
I love your PPBF selection…couldn’t be more perfect! And I’d love to go apple picking…I went last year with my grandson and we had a ball!
Vivian, my goodness! You are a night owl I think! I don’t sleep much these days, but even I was asleep at 3:43! 🙂 I’m glad you like the selection, and I think you and I should plan an apple picking trip that ends with us making apple crisp – it would be a good excuse to get together! 🙂
I loved waking up to this post, Susanna! I had a lovely time with you yesterday, as always. I do think we need to adopt Missy as our kid lit mascot. What do you think?
What a perfect PPBF selection, even though I am always sad to see summer go.
xo E.
I didn’t even know you read my posts, Elaine! I’m so touched! Thank you again for lunch yesterday – it was lovely! And before we adopt Missy I think we’d better watch the video that Wendy included in her comment… 🙂
This is such a beautiful picture book. Perfect for the autumn equinox. And I love its simplicity and how the child welcomes the autumn changes. Beautiful illustrations.
Simplicity, Pat, is the perfect word for this book. But it’s pretty and the language nice and it’s a great springboard for encouraging kids to observe the natural world around them. Looking forward to seeing your choice for this week!
This book looks scrumptious! What gorgeous illustrations and I am so happy you got to have lunch with Elaine.
It is a sweet and pretty book, Joanna! And Elaine and I would both love it if you would come have lunch WITH us! But I’ve lost track of your wanderings and have a feeling you no longer live in our neck of the woods… 😦
Wow. This is beautiful and it looks great on so many levels. I love the educational aspect, but so gentle. Don’t know this author. Has he done other books?
Hi Joanne! I’m glad you like the book! I love the art – so beautifully done with the colors and light. I picked the book initially for it’s title because it seemed so fitting for today and got drawn in…but I don’t know the author/illustrator or whether he’s done any other books. I should check!
A beautiful book for this PPBF choice Susanna. Funny that you are saying its Autumn when for us its the beginning of Spring. Tomorrow we start daylight saving here as well. I so love the long summer evenings. The little pig you met up with is such a cutie. 🙂
I know, Diane! It’s hard to remember that things are so different on the other side of the world! We tend to get caught up in our own reality! I do love autumn (though I’m less wild about what follows!), but I’m a wee bit jealous that you’re on the front side of spring and summer. Maybe Phyllis and I will come for a visit 🙂
Awesome! That would be truly AWESOME!
🙂 ❤
What a Perfect PPBF choice!
It was really a perfect title for today, don’t you think, Patricia?! 🙂
Yes! And I understand fall weather will be here this weekend, too – at least in CT!
So they’re saying… we’ll see 🙂
Apple-picking was my activity yesterday! MacIntosh are done and Stayman Winsap are ready (my mom’s mini-orchard!). Ready to read your book selection and have autumn arrive!
I’m not a pig expert, just an animal lover but I’m not sure you should believe when someone says they have a teacup or mini-pig!! http://bestfriends.org/stories-blog-videos/latest-news/truth-about-teacup-pigs (it is adorable though 🙂 )
I’ll check the link, Wendy 🙂 But I’m already laughing because I have a friend who had a “miniature” pot-bellied pig who grew to be 300 pounds – I kid you not! 🙂 Enjoy the apples and whatever you make out of them 🙂
Wow — the illustrations are gorgeous and perfectly capture the warm light and swirling leaves of autumn. Apple picking sounds lovely; I think apple crisp is just about the best (non-chocolate) dessert ever.
I have to agree, Gabi! Apple crisp is perfection! 🙂
I just heard about this book earlier this week. I’ve added it to my list to read with my son (age 6). 🙂
I hope you enjoy it, Kate! It’s simple, but very pretty and good for promoting discussion of signs of autumn as well as observation of the natural world 🙂
Beautiful illustrations! Not sure Summer is ready to leave Ohio quite yet. It was hot as heck today!
Definitely must read this book.
I know, Keila! Here too! But they’re saying we’re going to have a fall weather weekend… I’ll believe it when I see it 🙂
Not YET!!! I haven’t eaten enough tomatoes to be sick of ’em! The book looks beautiful though.
Oh, I know! I love the tomatoes! I especially love how the vines smell. I think they should make body lotion or soap that smells like that 🙂
This looks fabulous! I like the slightly chillier weather (but not TOO cold). 🙂
I know, Erik! Let’s just keep autumn, then have 2 weeks of snow for Christmas, and then spring! 🙂