Full of Fall

Young readers' imaginations are sure to be fired by Sayre's awe-inspiring photos and by the bite-sized science facts provided at the end of the book.

PreS-Gr 2--The pages in this beautiful tribute to autumn virtually throb with color at every turn. A seasonal companion to Raindrops Roll and Best in Snow, this title highlights the glorious show that is performed each year by trees around the world. Simple, elegant poetry leads readers through the progression of changing leaves as the landscape prepares for winter. "Trees are ready. Twigs let go. Leaves slip and spin. Wind sweeps--leaves blow!" The crisp, full-color photographs saturate every spread, providing varying perspectives, from close-ups of individual leaves to wide shots of trees of every hue on the water's edge. Short paragraphs at the end offer information on the science behind the changing colors and the life cycle of the leaves. VERDICT While there are a multitude of books about leaves and autumn, this one is a standout for its elegance, simplicity, and gorgeous photography--perfect for sharing with the youngest learners.--Jody Kopple, Shady Hill School, Cambridge, MA

Copyright 2017 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

In a companion to Best in Snow and Raindrops Roll, Sayre offers a luminous look at autumn leaves, pairing spare verse with crisp photography: "Hello, yellow./ Greetings, gold./ Oh--it's orange!/ Red, be bold." Sayre's full-bleed photographs include images of trees laden with vivid leaves, rippling water that transforms unseen leaves above into an abstract display, and the "Margins. Midribs./ Sunlit veins" of a single leaf shown in close-up. Later in the fall, "Trees are ready./ Twigs let go./ Leaves slip and spin./ Wind sweeps-- leaves blow!" The final stage of decomposition welcomes winter's approach. Sayre's visual tribute to fall foliage gently implores readers to notice the quiet beauty unfolding all around them. A closing spread provides detailed insight into the science behind trees' exquisite autumnal show. Ages 3-8. Agent: Emily Mitchell, Wernick & Pratt. (Aug.)

Copyright 2017 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

Leaves of orange, gold, and red shout from amid the last of summer's fading green canvas. Shy at first, then with a bold advance, the ripple of flaming colors races through the forest like a metachronal wave until the miserly hoarders of chlorophyll are too embarrassed to do much more than sulk. A carpet of leaves; a canopy of leaves—a crescendo of leaves. Sayre's stunning photographic images sweep across each majestic double-page spread. The rhyming text meanders from one-word identifiers—"Midribs"—to ecstatic exclamations: "So many leaves!...Young readers' imaginations are sure to be fired by Sayre's awe-inspiring photos and by the bite-sized science facts provided at the end of the book. (Informational picture book. 3-8)—Kirkus Reviews