Fall Leaves Fall

Hall, Zoe. Fall Leaves Fall. New York: Scholastic Press, 2000.

I have to start with Shari Halpern’s illustrations. According to the front matter, Halpern “used painted and found papers to create collage illustrations for this book.” The result is a bright, exciting world that looks 3-D. Some of the textures appear so real that I want to touch them to make sure they’re just paper. And the fall leaves, shown separately with their own distinct shapes and shades of orange, yellow, red, or brown, are pleasant to look at. My favorite page features an art project created by the two brothers in the story: a strip of butcher paper displaying six different types of leaves labeled neatly in crayon.

The text, in simple language and lively, short sentences for teeny attention spans, is a first-person narrative telling how the main character and his brother enjoy the fall season together. In the process of witnessing the pure pleasure the boys derive from autumn, readers learn about the signs of the season, some indoor and outdoor activities, fall colors, and six different kinds of leaves. The last page describes in four illustrated steps “[h]ow leaves grow throughout the year.” For brilliant, crisp illustrations and minimal text that entertains and educates, Fall Leaves Fall gets an A.