LITTLE RED, AUTUMN ON THE FARM

That ever-obliging truck returns.

This time, Little Red and driver Katie, introduced in the Christmas-themed Little Red (2023), help friends on a fall day. As in the earlier offering, six vehicles, each of a different type and color, require the immediate assistance of Little Red and pale-skinned Katie. Each urgent entreaty—“Help, Little Red, help!”—is enclosed within a speech bubble whose color matches that of the requesting truck and the color of something its respective driver is wearing, thus helping little ones hone color-recognition skills. When Little Red and Katie are done, the satisfied customers drive off with a hearty onomatopoeic “Honk, honk! Beep, beep!” After the first truck is repaired, readers are told that the leaves “[come] down.” After the second time, they come “down and down.” Each time, another down is added, enhancing children’s understanding of counting, numbers, and patterns. Finally, a 90-degree page turn reveals what’s been going on at Shady Acre Farm, where everyone’s congregated: Racially diverse neighborhood kids have erected a giant scarecrow with a jack-o’-lantern face. When it’s lit, everyone shouts, “BOO-RAY!” The word is set in rainbow hues—the trucks’ cumulative colors. Not only an appealing tribute to fall, this sweet, simple story is about friendly cooperation and kindness. Delightful digital illustrations pay vivid homage to seasonal foliage, colors, and Halloween: Note also several jack-o’-lanterns and mildly spooky images.

Truck mavens will “fall” for this seasonal homage.