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Fall into autumn and leaf through these books

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Autumn is a little different down here in Texas than in other parts of the country. So, books can come in handy to teach your children what fall is all about.

In “Autumn Walk,” written by Ann Burg and illustrated by Kelly Asbury, a puppy takes a walk. He discovers several clues to the changing season as he makes his way through the neighborhood. This is a fun book for toddlers and even babies. The colors are bright and the story simple and repeatable.

Take your stroller king or queen for a ride through the neighborhood, taking note of any changes you see in gardens, the temperature, and noting any animals you see. Signs of the coming fall may be subtle, which is all the more reason to point them out to your baby or toddler.

“It's Fall” by Linda Glaser celebrates the sights, sounds and smells of the season. The cut-paper illustrations by Susan Swan give an unusual perspective on all things fall. They make this book special.

Your child can make a fall poster using this cut paper technique. After reading the book let them cut shapes out of fall-colored construction paper and glue the shapes onto a poster board. You can put the poster in a front window to decorate the outside of your home or in a hallway that needs some fall color to brighten it up.

If your child likes poetry, try “Autumn: An Alphabet Acrostic” by Steven Schnur. The illustrations by Leslie Evans are beautiful and give you a chance to find new signs of fall on every page.

Let your child try their hand at writing an acrostic. You can take each letter of their name and write a line beginning with that letter. The important thing is to have fun playing with words. For example, with “Pat” you might end up with something like this:

Pat likes the autumn.

All the leaves dance.

Time for fall.

For independent readers and dependent listeners as well, “Scarecrow Finds a Friend” is a fun story about a friendship between a scarecrow and a witch. Even without magic powers the scarecrow finds a way to help the witch get back her ability to fly. All the fall holidays from Halloween to Thanksgiving are involved in the story. This book is written by Blume J. Rifken and illustrated by Carl W. Wenzel.

It is fun to make a scarecrow for your yard or front porch. Scare up some old clothes, a brown paper bag and a stack of old copies of the Hill Country News. Let your children draw a face on the bag turned upside down, so the bottom of the bag is the top of your fellow's head. Glue yarn on top and add an old hat or baseball cap. Stuff the bag and the clothes with balled-up newspaper and tape it all together. For a lady scarecrow, stuff an old pair of pantyhose for the legs.

To enjoy autumn to the fullest, harvest some books to share with your family.

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