05/16/2016
A girl with brown skin, rosy cheeks, and a red scarf that billows out behind her walks through the landscapes of illustrator Pak’s story, his debut as author, watching summer turn into autumn. She travels through a forest and along a stream, then spends time in town before heading home. Throughout, she addresses the natural objects she sees, and they reply, telling her what they do as the season changes. “Hello, playful foxes and singing blue jays,” she says. “Hello!” they answer. “We are busy looking for food. Some of us are heading south to our winter homes.” Delicate hints of texture and shifting planes of quiet greens and browns transform slowly into a fall palette. By the time the girl returns home, the sun is going down, and the day closes with the first red leaf. The focus is on the natural world, but Pak (Flowers Are Calling) celebrates city life, too, with drawings of diverse townspeople—a mechanic, a man moving boxes—that show a rainbow of a community. It’s a thoughtful look at the kind of change that unfolds almost imperceptibly. Ages 4–7. Agent: Kirsten Hall, Catbird Agency. (Aug.)
"Pak’s well-executed first appearance as both author and illustrator offers a warm welcome to fall." —The Horn Book, starred review
"A gentle, gorgeous welcome to summer’s end and fall’s beginning, perfect for storytime or one-on-one reading." —School Library Journal
"A visual success conjuring up the best about the seasons’ changes." —Kirkus Reviews
"The focus is on the natural world, but Pak (Flowers Are Calling) celebrates city life, too, with drawings of diverse townspeople . . . that show a rainbow of a community. It’s a thoughtful look at the kind of change that unfolds almost imperceptibly." —Publishers Weekly
07/01/2016
PreS-Gr 1—A girl wearing a red scarf greets a nippy late summer morning. The child wanders through woods, by a creek, and across farmland and finally arrives in town, encountering all sorts of flora and fauna along the way. She greets everyone in a friendly tone, saying hello to trees, blue jays, foxes, distant thunder, breezy wind, and the approaching chill in the air. In the end, returning home, it's "Goodbye, summer…Hello autumn!" Short sentences are positioned over the pictures. The spare text and muted watercolor illustrations blend perfectly to create a feeling of wonder at the change of seasons. This is an upbeat look at the promise of fall's glories. VERDICT A gentle, gorgeous welcome to summer's end and fall's beginning, perfect for storytime or one-on-one reading.—Anne Chapman Callaghan, Racine Public Library, WI
2016-06-01
As a child walks through woods and town, summer turns to fall, and the natural world is met with a friendly hello. A slim, brown child with a black-haired bob and hipster clothes stands on a stoop, ready to greet the late summer morning. On this picturesque journey through the seasons, the protagonist's cordial salutation—whether made to blue jays and beavers or to the thunder and wind—is always the same: "Hello, [object]." And all amiably respond, providing tidbits of information about themselves. Unfortunately, their chatty replies miss the rhythm and easy conversational style that would make this shine as a read-aloud. It's a shame, since the artist's lush, evocative digital illustrations so perfectly capture the changing seasons in both the countryside and the town's streets. To further accentuate the subject matter, Pak makes every spread a panorama, allowing readers to see and feel the various environments and habitats. Working in the tradition of such artists as Richard Scarry and Mary Blair, he takes a graphic approach, illustrating a world with simplified characters and shapes, layers of textures, and bold colors. Repeat visits will reveal new stories, such as the child's collection and distribution of a carefully crafted bouquet to other people, whose diversity refreshingly reflects a range of skin tones, hairstyles, body types, and interests. A visual success conjuring up the best about the seasons' changes. (Picture book. 3-7)
