From School Library Journal
Starred Review. PreSchool-Grade 3–This potent synthesis of art and prose conveys a child's first awareness of the changing seasons with reverence and wonder. Fletcher, a tiny fox, is concerned when his favorite tree turns brown. His mother tells him, Don't worry, it's only autumn, but the tree hardly seems fine to Fletcher. As its leaves fall and flutter away, the youngster struggles in vain to catch and reattach them. When only one leaf remains, he does his level best to secure it to the limb, but eventually the stem dries up and the leaf pops off. Mournful and confused, he carries it home and takes it to bed with him. Still worried about his tree, he wakes up the next morning to find that it has undergone a sweet and satisfying transformation. Beeke's resplendent watercolors work beautifully with the book's tone, content, layout, and design. Picture books about nature sometimes suffer from cloying, excessively pastoral language or imagery; this rare example succumbs to neither. A first purchase for every collection.
–Catherine Threadgill, Charleston County Public Library, SC Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
PreS-Gr. 2. When the leaves on his favorite tree turn brown and begin to drop, Fletcher, a young fox, worries that the tree is sick. Although he tries his best to help the tree, the last leaf finally falls. The next day when Fletcher visits the tree, he sees a magical sight that convinces him that falling leaves don't signify the tree's demise. Rawlinson's carefully worded text is superbly matched by Beeke's impressionistic watercolors. Fletcher's character is clearly evident in his distinct facial features and body language, and the magical change of the season is accentuated as the scenery goes from soft, hazy earth tones to cool white and blue-green. For the scene in which Fletcher beholds the "magical sight" of the tree covered with ice, sparkle has been glued to the pages; the effect will make children gasp with delight. Given such a strong debut, the unforgettable Fletcher is primed for more picture books as he discovers the ways of the world.
Randall EnosCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
