Hola amigas mia!
Writing this post on our last night in Arizona. We have had a splendid time here but there’s no place like home. Will be glad to be in our home with our kitties tomorrow night. And hopefully, I will get back on track with my blogging. Hopefully.
So, last night I promised to review this book today.
Fall Mixed Up by Bob Raczka, illustrations by Chad Cameron. I think I’ve mentioned that my original idea for this series was to review fall children’s books. I ordered this book under that premise. But soon figured that about day 10, I would be wishing that my theme was a bit broader.
I’ve been talking about Caldecott Award winners but this book isn’t a Caldecott, or a Newbery or a Bluebonnet. It’s just a really cute book. And it seemed to go well with yesterday’s “Autumn Bucket List” update. Except I was dozing off before I got to the book review part of yesterday’s post. So let’s remedy that now. And we’ll get back to Caldecotts tomorrow.
I think, if I had Cady here with me to share this book, I would begin by looking carefully at the cover illustration. There are a lot of little clues in the cover art that give hints to what the book is about. The arrow pointing down but labeled “up”, gloves on the little child’s ears, the bear squirreling away acorns in his cheeks, someone catching a football with a baseball glove.
Then Cady would open the book and we would giggle together at these end papers. And I would read “Every Septober, Every Octember, Fall fills my senses with scenes to remember.”
We would turn the page to see…
And then…
Lots to look at, and we haven’t even gotten to the story yet.
But at last, after all this teasing, the story begins.
Then continues…
About now, Cady and I could start looking for all the ways that fall is mixed up.
On this page, I would ask Cady to tell me what’s mixed up.
Along about here, I would point out how the illustrator softened some of the details in the pictures while sharpening and focusing on other details. Like the frozen marshmallows in the illustration below.
Upclose. Don’t the marshmallows look sharper and more in focus than the pup?
Or maybe it just looks like that to me. But I think Chad Cameron was trying to draw the reader’s attention to some of what is mixed up.
And in this picture, pastel?, our eyes are drawn up the sidewalk to the front door. There the contrast between the light in the doorway, the porch lamp, and the light through the window highlights the action.
Finally, at the end of the book, author Bob Raczka invites his readers – Cady and me and YOU – to go back over the book and look for the many ways this particular fall is not quite right.
There are lots of good openings here for discussions on hibernation, migration, seasons, holiday traditions, opposites. As the book is being read or reread, little ones could make tally marks for all of the mixed up things they count. Children could be invited to rewrite or re-illustrate the book so that the story is no longer mixed up.
Fall Mixed Up is written on a 1.6 (first grade, sixth month) reading level. Learn more about the author on his webpage, here. And stop by here to get to know the illustrator. Order your copy of this fun little title, here.
My MVP has crashed beside me so I am going to close for now. Thank you for spending a few moments of your day with me. Will be back tomorrow with another Caldecott Award winner. Join me, please?
Hugs and kisses,
Michael Ann
What a FUN book! I really like this one!
Carrie @ Curly Crafty Mom
Oh man, I wish I hadn’t bought Autumn’s book for her little Halloween basket I made her already… this one is so cute! I love that it has you go back through the book for the clues on whats not quite right. Fun book 🙂
Carrie
curlycraftymom.com