Their shapes emerge.
Hello, yellow.
Greetings, gold.
Oh - it's orange!
Red, be bold."
I admit to loving autumn. That being said, I'm not sure why. It is the shortest season of all here in Manitoba. The leaves have barely changed to gorgeous color when a ferocious wind blows them to the ground, leaving bare trees, leaf-filled yards and a lot of work to be done. I wouldn't mind so much if we could say we had a month of autumnal weather and a riot of color to savor as winter approaches. Today, with the wind whipping through bare branches and sending whatever leaves are on the ground swirling, we are acutely aware that the first week in November is promising a 'significant snow event'.
Luckily, I will have this brilliant new book from April Pulley Sayre to remind me of the beauty that is fall. The first pages show sun-soaked grasses, and leaves just beginning to change color, bit by bit and without fanfare. Then - their colors burst forth! We are invited to look carefully at the beauty that is found in all of nature. Colors reflect through a leafy canopy and on pond surfaces, and plump fall berries await their fate - hungrily picked by birds and others.
Too soon, the trees are ready to shed their leaves. Winds blow them into piles.
"They drift and dry.
Their edges curl.
They float and sink,
They snag and swirl."
This companion to her earlier seasonal books, Raindrops Roll and Best In Snow, is filled with incredibly beautiful photographs. The poetry is simple, but perfectly written to provide context for the leafy glory of the season.
In back matter, Ms. Sayre provides short Look Closer paragraphs that provide scientific information concerning both leaves and fall itself. And, an invitation to get outside and drink in its beauty. Too late for us, don't let it be too late for you!
To learn more, go to the author's website.
www.aprilsayre.com
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