A rhyming celebration of the sights, smells, and sounds of autumn, such as pumpkin muffins, turkey stickers on spelling papers, and piles of raked leaves. - (Baker & Taylor)

A presentation of the magic of Autumn comes replete with falling leaves, crisp cool afternoons, geese flying, apple picking, early evenings, a new school year, and the coming of heavy coats, all lovingly and humorously rendered and described. - (Baker & Taylor)

I know it's autumn when
we rake the leaves in piles,
when doorstep jack-o'-lanterns
wear their crooked smiles ...

Leaves are falling, geese are flying, and warm coats are -- reluctantly -- being worn to school. That can mean only one thing: It's autumn!

Eileen Spinelli and Nancy Hayashi invite you to enjoy autumn's many delights -- from warm socks worn on chilly mornings to tempting piles of crackly leaves on the lawn -- in this sweet, funny look at fall.

Booklist Reviews

PreS-Gr. 2. A little girl identifies the clues that tell her autumn has come. Narrated in rhymed verses, this picture book shows the activities of a little girl and her brother, parents, grandfather, friends, and the community where they live as the season progresses. Each verse begins "I know it's autumn when . . ." The expected apples, pumpkins, and red leaves make their appearance, but Spinelli also finds less obvious signs of fall, such as Father bringing out the box of winter clothes and the sight of a turkey sticker on the girl's spelling chart. Large enough for group sharing and as quiet and comfortable as the text, Hayashi's illustrations feature rounded lines, soft shading, and gentle colors. An amiable read-aloud choice for the season. ((Reviewed August 2004)) Copyright 2004 Booklist Reviews.

Horn Book Guide Reviews

In a simple rhyming text, a young girl describes the changes indoors and out, at home and at school, that tell her it's fall. Detailed but uncluttered art captures the seasonal activities; the illustrations, which show the girl and her brother as biracial, with a white mom and Asian dad, will please those looking for picture books featuring interracial families. Copyright 2005 Horn Book Guide Reviews.

Kirkus Reviews

The dedication page and the one facing display pictures of a pumpkin and a gorgeous spray of chrysanthemums, so readers know right away they are in good hands. Spinelli's gentle rhymes and Hayashi's cozy images take them through the season: jackets coming out from the boxes in the closet under the stairs; a farmer's market in town; turkey stickers on spelling words; apple-picking and hayrides. Although the young female narrator clearly lives in the country, her yellow school bus and busy classroom will be familiar even to city kids. The details are just right, from the teapot on the breakfast table to the mail and keys under the window to the dog who is everywhere. This would go nicely with Cynthia Rylant's In November (2000) and Douglas Florian's Autumnblings (2003). (Picture book. 4-8) Copyright Kirkus 2004 Kirkus/BPI Communications.All rights reserved.

School Library Journal Reviews

PreS-Gr 1-A young girl lists all of the ways she recognizes the season's onset, from the late morning light to her dad pulling her coat out of storage to making acorn art at school to watching the geese fly south. The rhyming text meshes beautifully with Hayashi's color-washed illustrations, which portray the child and her family apple picking, going on a nighttime hayride, and listening to a Native American storyteller perform near a campfire. A delightful book that will be especially appreciated by teachers looking for autumnal materials.-Kathleen Kelly MacMillan, Maryland School for the Deaf, Columbia Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.