IN THE LEAVES

Lee finishes the seasonal round begun with At the beach (1994) by taking a group of children to a farm in autumn, giving young Xiao Ming a chance to introduce the Chinese characters for “grain,” “fire” and eight other nouns to his friends (and readers). The plot is never more than a pretext, but Lee’s neat cut-paper collages, done with a mix of patterned and textured materials in warm browns and golds, capture that autumnal look and provide subtle, effective visual mnemonics for each letterform. As in previous outings, tables of the characters, English equivalents and approximate pronunciations sandwich this pleasant, painless peek at another language and orthography. (Picture book. 6-8)