In November

By Cynthia Rylant, Illustrated by Jill Kastner
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt 2008
Picture Book, 26 Pages, Ages: Preschool – 4

At winter’s gate, the stars are brittle.

The sun is a sometime friend.

In November, all the creatures prepare for winter. The air and the earth grow cold and sharp weather creeps in. Everyone seeks shelter, and people gather together to share family, food, and friends.

In November, the trees are standing all sticks and bones. Without their leaves, how lovely they are spreading their arms like dancers. 

This is a very calm book, with lyrical text that is simple yet expressive. Every page gives a different perspective of fall from the sky, to beneath the ground, in barns, in houses and all covered in a blanket of snow. There’s also the perspective from animals, insects, and humans alike. It welcomes new scenery, the slowing down of things, how the earth and animals rest to prepare for winter. 

I also appreciate the reference to Thanksgiving without it actually being mentioned. The focus was on family, sharing meals together, and being happy and thankful for what they have which is lacking in so much of today’s need for things.

The artwork is beautiful with a nod to something you would find in a book illustrated in the 50’s but without it being trite. It’s colorful, less detailed, warm and inviting. This book could be used as a mentor text for writing projects with older students in descriptive writing and personal narrative.  It reminded me quite a bit of Owl Moon. The only criticism I have of this book is that it’s too short. I would have liked to have seen a few more pages of descriptive nature scenes which is the only reason I’ve knocked off half of a star.

In November by Cynthia Rylant gets 41/2 stars from this reviewer.