Scanning the Bookshelf

There comes a time in early autumn when children's focuses and interests start to shift from swimming pools and backyard barbecues to school and fall leaves. These crisp new tales help make that transition a pleasant one.

"Crow Call" by Lois Lowry; illustrated by Bagram Ibatoulline; Scholastic; 32 pages; $16.99.

Two-time Newbery Medalist Lois Lowry enters the picture-book world as gracefully as she dominates the chapter-book arena. Her timeless tale about getting reacquainted with a parent after returning from war is moving and lovely. The book's outdoorsy fall theme feels homey and lush.

The story tells of a young girl named Liz, who welcomes her daddy home from war in 1945, and the pair sets out on a cold autumn morning to eat cherry pie in a diner and crow call in the woods.

Liz's fuzzy feelings for her dad's gift — a too-big, plaid hunter's shirt — and his lessons in crow calling add woodsy appeal and a personal touch to Lowry's father-daughter tale. Acclaimed illustrator Ibatoulline's realistic, golden-tinged watercolors help present a very special story of reintroduction for kids ages 6 to 10.

"Ned's New Home" by Kevin Tseng; Tricycle Press; 32 pages; $14.99.

Many preschool and kindergarten classrooms explore the life cycles of apples during the fall season. Graphic designer Tseng's first picture book fills this niche with his charming story of a kindhearted worm that searches for a new home after his old one starts to rot. A pear proves too wobbly, a watermelon is too spacious and a lemon home is much too sour for his tastes.

Alas, Ned arrives home soon after, when he clings to a cherry that a robin drops into an apple tree.

Vibrant, friendly pictures showcase seven different kinds of fruit, while endpapers show the life cycle of an apple, making "Ned's New Home" an early grade autumn must.

"My Name is Sangoel" by Karen Lynn Williams and Khadra Mohammed; illustrated by Catherine Stock; Eerdmans Books for Young Readers; 32 pages; $17.

Young Sudan refugee Sangoel arrives in the United States with his mother and sister and finds a busy, loud world unlike his own.

To make matters worse, no one in the lonely boy's new classroom can pronounce his name. But after gaining some comfort by joining a soccer team, Sangoel comes up with a unique way to help the other children say his name. The boy — proud of his heritage and his name — draws a soccer goal, with a sun above it, so the students can see that he is "Sun Goal."

This lovely tale of identity and belonging introduces the plight of young refugees to kids, but it also presents a universal autumnal theme about school-related worries and making friends.

"Little Red's Autumn Adventure" by Sarah Ferguson; illustrated by Sam Williams; Simon & Schuster; 32 pages; $16.99.

The Duchess of York's popular "Little Red" series is full of magic, vintage woodland animals and a spunky little heroine beloved by preschoolers. Preciously peppered with the vivid colors of autumn, Ferguson's appealing book sends Little Red and her friends off to the Great Harvest Festival in Bluebell Wood, leaf-boarding along the way.

But Little Red soon has a dilemma to handle: How does she help two tiny mice that have lost their mother? By shrinking down to their size, of course, which then means she can't reach her magical sack of smiles.

All is peachy in the end, especially for Mrs. Mouse and her offspring, and also for Little Red, as she finally springs back up to her jolly old self.

Well-loved illustrator Sam Williams ("Cold Little Duck, Duck, Duck") decorates picture books with aplomb, especially in this tale's page spread depicting breezy, rainbow-colored leaves falling from a tie-dyed tree.

To find out more about Lee Littlewood and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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