IN NOVEMBER

A gentle hymn to an autumn month. Starting with the landscape and moving on to animals, then people, Rylant’s voice describes the scene in immediate terms: leafless trees “lovely . . . spreading their arms like dancers”; birds that fly away and those that stay know “all berries will be treasures.” Cats sleep in barn corners and dogs before the fire. In November, an “orange smell” of squash and pumpkin and cinnamon fills the house: people come to share and to give thanks “at winter’s gate.” The brief, evocative text sits on full-page, oil-on-paper paintings. Broad, thick brushstrokes capture the sturdy horses, the little mice, and the country landscape from gray to brown to snowy white. The multigenerational family is clearly delighted to be together. A quiet, pre-holiday gift. (Picture book. 4-8)