In the Middle of Fall

by Kevin Henkes, Laura Dronzek (Illustrator)

Overview

The award-winning team behind "When Spring Comes" explores the sounds, sights, smells, and textures of a new season--fall--in this gorgeously illustrated picture book. Full color.x 11 5/16.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062573117
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	09/05/2017
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	224,753
Product dimensions:	9.30(w) x 11.40(h) x 0.50(d)
Age Range:	3 - 7 Years

About the Author

Kevin Henkes has been praised both as a writer and as an illustrator and is the recipient of the Children’s Literature Legacy Award for his lasting contribution to literature for children. He received the Caldecott Medal for Kitten’s First Full Moon; Caldecott Honors for Waiting and Owen; two Newbery Honors, one for Olive’s Ocean and one for The Year of Billy Miller; and Geisel Honors for Waiting and Penny and Her Marble. His other books include The World and Everything in It; A House; A Parade of Elephants; Chrysanthemum; and the beloved Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse. Kevin Henkes lives with his family in Madison, Wisconsin.

Laura Dronzek is a painter whose work has been exhibited nationally. Her picture books include Moonlight, by Helen V. Griffith; It Is Night, by Phyllis Rowand; White Is for Blueberry, by George Shannon; Little Houses, by Kevin Henkes; and a quartet of seasonal picture books also by Kevin Henkes. She lives in Madison, Wisconsin.

Hometown:

Madison, Wisconsin

Date of Birth:

November 27, 1960

Place of Birth:

Racine, Wisconsin

Education:

University of Wisconsin, Madison

Website:

http://www.kevinhenkes.com

Editorial Reviews

07/17/2017
In a evocative companion to When Spring Comes, spouses Dronzek and Henkes praise the beauty of fall in full swing: “In the middle of Fall,/ when the leaves/ have already turned/ and the sky is mostly gray/ and the air is chilly,” begins Henkes in one of just two sentences that stretch across the entirety of the book. The quiet writing crescendos, and a gust of wind blows the leaves, “and all at once—/ everything/ is yellow/ and red/ and orange.” Dronzek’s smudgy, thickly outlined acrylics offer cozy perspectives on an apple orchard, a pumpkin patch, “frisky” gray squirrels in a tree, and a hillside where a girl in a red coat and yellow boots plays. It’s a rich homage to the season—both its blazing colors and the signs of coming winter darkness. Ages 4–8. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

★ 08/01/2017
PreS-Gr 2—In this lovely companion to When Spring Comes, poetic text and lush-hued acrylic paintings depict a rural setting fully turned to autumn. Leaves shimmer orange and yellow, "the sky is mostly gray/and the air is chilly," "frisky" squirrels gather nuts, plump pumpkins stand ready for the picking, and apples hang from tree branches "like ornaments." A red-jacketed girl and her dog, along with other cozily clad children and busy woodland animals, engage in outdoor activities as the tranquil ambience builds. Then, suddenly, with "one big gust of wind" (and a whirl of colorful leaves depicted in a motion-filled spread), "everything/is yellow/and red/and orange." The moment resonates, as the child catches a drifting orange leaf, then romps in a just-raked pile. Readers are encouraged to remember the details of fall (circled insets provide helpful visual clues), for soon all of its glories will fade and the sky will change again. Delightful details and sensory-rich images pack the pages, celebrating the tangible characteristics of the season while conveying the sense of wonder inherent in nature's transformations. VERDICT A must-have for autumn storytimes and investigations, this exquisite picture book will inspire youngsters to get outdoors and observe the world around them.—Joy Fleishhacker, Pikes Peak Library District, Colorado Springs

School Library Journal

★ 2017-06-27
Author-illustrator duo Henkes and Dronzek extol the quiet splendors of autumn in this lyrical, exquisite complement to their previous seasonal outing, When Spring Comes (2016).Its crown full of reddish-orange leaves, a tree stands against a gray sky. "In the middle of Fall, / when the leaves / have already turned," the narrator begins. Measured and understated, Henkes' text masterfully raises and stirs moods and sensations in pieces, each building on top of the other. A fair-skinned child in a red hooded sweatshirt and yellow boots sits on a swing, a brown dog sitting on the ground nearby. Squirrels scurry about, gardens wither, and pumpkins "are ready" as various children pluck them off the ground. All it takes is "just one big gust of wind," says the wistful narrator, and suddenly "everything is yellow / and red / and orange." Solid lines and deep autumnal colors abound in Dronzek's gorgeous acrylic illustrations, which fill the spaces left untouched by the text. In pace and richness, text and pictures dreamily embody the essence of fall, which in this book marks a transition both bittersweet and inevitable. Enjoy the child and dog at play throughout these autumn landscapes, because before either of them knows it (and perhaps before readers realize it as well), change will come again. A touching portrait of the fall season from two superb artists. (Picture book. 4-8)

Kirkus Reviews

★ “Author-illustrator duo Henkes and Dronzek extol the quiet splendors of autumn in this lyrical, exquisite complement to their previous seasonal outing. Henkes’ text masterfully raises and stirs moods and sensations in pieces. A touching portrait of the fall season from two superb artists.” — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

★ “From the husband-and-wife team behind When Spring Comes comes another stirring picture book about the changing seasons. Masterfully conceived and executed, this perfectly captures the sights and feelings many children experience during the transition from fall to winter.” — Booklist (starred review)

★ “Henkes and Dronzek’s latest offering stands on its own as a quietly joyful paean to autumn. Closing endpapers decorated with lacy snowflakes put the final touch on this gorgeous offering. A picture book to fall for.”   — Horn Book (starred review)

★ “Poetic text and lush-hued acrylic paintings depict a rural setting fully turned to autumn. Delightful details and sensory-rich images pack the pages. A must-have for autumn storytimes and investigations, this exquisite picture book will inspire youngsters to get outdoors and observe the world around them.” — School Library Journal (starred review)

“In the evocative companion to When Spring Comes, spouses Dronzek and Henkes praise the beauty of fall in full swing. It’s a rich homage to the season—both its blazing colors and the signs of coming winter darkness.”  — Publishers Weekly

“Henkes’s gentle but vivid text has a cozy rhythm that makes this a lulling and evocative readaloud. Dronzek’s full-bleed acrylic illustrations lean on autumnal russets and oranges, using the changing colors of the sky as it moves from slate to cyan for vibrant contrast. Lovely.” — Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books (starred review)

From the Publisher

★ “Henkes and Dronzek’s latest offering stands on its own as a quietly joyful paean to autumn. Closing endpapers decorated with lacy snowflakes put the final touch on this gorgeous offering. A picture book to fall for.”  

Horn Book (starred review)

Henkes’s gentle but vivid text has a cozy rhythm that makes this a lulling and evocative readaloud. Dronzek’s full-bleed acrylic illustrations lean on autumnal russets and oranges, using the changing colors of the sky as it moves from slate to cyan for vibrant contrast. Lovely.

Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books (starred review)

★ “From the husband-and-wife team behind When Spring Comes comes another stirring picture book about the changing seasons. Masterfully conceived and executed, this perfectly captures the sights and feelings many children experience during the transition from fall to winter.

Booklist (starred review)

Henkes’s gentle but vivid text has a cozy rhythm that makes this a lulling and evocative readaloud. Dronzek’s full-bleed acrylic illustrations lean on autumnal russets and oranges, using the changing colors of the sky as it moves from slate to cyan for vibrant contrast. Lovely.

Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books (starred review)