Wonderfall

An oak tree, with cutout leaves and a pair of squirrels cavorting through its branches, narrates Hall’s (Frankencrayon) pensive story, watching as autumn arrives. In a bit of seasonal punning, the title of each free-verse poem substitutes the word fall for the suffix -ful. In “Peacefall,” the oak’s acorns drop, “plink, plunk, plop.” In “Dutifall,” the tree notices schoolchildren carrying knapsacks waiting beneath it: “The busy/ yellow/ bus is/ back.” Slowly the tree’s leaves change color and drop (the poems’ verticality echoes this action), and after the last leaves have fallen and geese fly south, three spreads herald another seasonal change: “Will/ this night... bring/ the/ first... snowfall!” Hall’s crisp, graphic digital collages provide plenty to talk about, and the puns add another layer of interest. Ages 4–8. Agent: Anna Olswanger, Olswanger Literary. (Sept.)