Kelli Nidey

Autumn falls in so many ways in this poetic picture-book from author Kelli Nidey and illustrator Susan Swan, from falling leaves to falling temperatures, falling apples to falling seeds. Night itself falls earlier and earlier, as the season progresses...

I have seen a great deal of discussion over the years of the words autumn and fall, with the former being more common in Britain, and the latter more common in the United States. Both originated in Britain of course, and both have their proponents. One sometimes hears the argument, usually from the type that sneers at American English, that autumn is the more poetic of the two, and fall a mere commonplace - a simple description. While I have always loved the word autumn, which makes a beautiful sound when spoken aloud, I couldn't disagree more strongly with this view. There is a power and simplicity to 'fall,' when used in the seasonal sense, that has always spoken most strongly to me. Many things do fall, in this season, as enumerated above, but the most striking is the falling of the year itself, as it moves into darkness and winter. There is an almost religious feeling to this fall, something that the ancient pagans felt, making the Winter Solstice, when the wheel of the year turned, and the falling of one season gave way to the rising of another, a time of great significance for them. Fall - a short word, but one of deep meaning and thrilling beauty!

While none of this is directly addressed in When Autumn Falls, which pairs a simple, rhythmic text with colorful, cut-paper illustrations, it was running through my mind as I read it, and I appreciated the attention drawn to the theme of falling, in the autumn season. The artwork ably captured the bright colors and atmosphere of fall, making this a pleasant read, from an aesthetic perspective. Recommended to picture-book readers looking for autumn/fall stories for younger children.… (meer)