First Day of Fall

In honor of the first day of fall, here are some fall pictures. And some fall book illustrations.

The leaves have been slow to turn this year, with most of them still green. But there are little patches of bright color. 

The "bright blue weather" of fall

An old abandoned schoolhouse

I stopped and took a picture of some geese. I thought they were real geese until I edited the pictures. And lo and behold, there are two guys. who must have been a little confused about me stopping to take a picture of them and their decoys. 

Chinese lanterns

Cows grazing on hay fields is a sure sign of fall

And the pumpkins

Love the juxtaposition of summer and fall here

And now, some favorite fall illustrations.

Rainflowers by Ann Turner has some great fall storm illustrations.

And then, some Berenstain Bears...

This book has fun rhyming, exuberant pictures (we love Steven Kellogg), and a theme that farm kids recognize--in the fall, the animals get a little crazy. Cows get out of the fences about 10 times more in the fall than any other season. I am not sure if this is scientific, but it has been our experience. Something to do with decreased quality of the grass they are grazing, since grass grows slower and there isn't as much clover, etc. 

This is why the goose got loose. The wild geese were flying over.

I saw this today and liked it.

The Year at Maple Hill Farm by Alice and Martic Provensen. This book played a big part in my childhood. 

Four Puppies by Anne Heathers, a little golden book. This book was also a big part of my childhood for some reason. It is about four little puppies who enjoyed the summer and are bewildered by the leaves disappearing.

Little puppies in fall... How could it not be cute?

Mr Putter and Tabby Pick the Pears by Cynthia Rylant, which is quite funny.

This is from Baby Dear by Eloise Wilkin. One of my favorite fall illustrations.