Fall Frolic in the City

A graduate of Lesley College and the University of Vermont, Cathy Goldberg Fishman taught in an elementary school, directed a daycare center, and owned a children's bookstore. In addition to writing, Cathy teaches at Georgia Military College in Augusta, Georgia, and works part-time at the Augusta Jewish Federation.

A look at autumnal celebrations.This rhyming, counting board book lives up to its title, showing children participating in various fall traditions and festivities. The signs of the season are all here, from a pile of leaves (to jump into, naturally) to apples from the farmers market to the backpacks that mark the beginning of a new school year. Beyond those, Fishman includes other cultural celebrations that mark the changing season—costumes for Halloween, mooncakes for the Mid-Autumn Festival, calaveras for Dia de los Muertos, and a subtle nod to Diwali. The counting and rhyming are effective, the gentle rhythm keeping pages turning. Hall’s eye-catching illustrations offer context; layered and textured images, which appear to be made with collage, give life to one brown-skinned child’s springy dark hair and a feeling of movement to twirling leaves on a crisp autumn day. The book represents children of different races and faiths; one child wears a hijab, while another wears a kippah. The result is a book that shows the diversity of experiences in a community as well as the joy of it all. (This book was reviewed digitally.)A lovely way to welcome fall. (Board book. 2-4)—Kirkus