In November

In November, written by Cynthia Rylant and illustrated by Jill Kastner, is by far my favorite book written by her that I have read so far. The book talks about what happens both in nature and to people during the fall. Its tone is warm and makes me think about my family and sitting together around a fire or enjoying a good meal. The mouse on the cover, title page, and dedication page draws the reader in. He then makes another appearance on the first page of the book, which describes how the earth is growing quiet and getting ready for winter. The mouse is getting ready to “hide beneath its [the earth’s] blankets.”

The pictures all take up the entire spread. They are done in warm, earthy tones, going well with the warm tone of the book. Again, they are the perfect complement to Rylant’s lyrical language, full of similes. For example, “Without their leaves, how lovely they are, spreading their arms like dancers.” One line I enjoyed immensely was how during the fall, food smells differently. “It is an orange smell.” For some reason, I was able to conjure up vivid images of pumpkin pie and squash, just like she went on to describe. Each picture focuses on a different aspect of fall. One focuses on the trees losing their leaves, one focuses on birds flying south, another shows a family enjoying a Thanksgiving meal.

In November reminded me a little bit of Ox-Cart Man since both books talk about what people do during the fall in order to prepare for the winter. The latter book focuses more on how people prepared to survive the fall by preserving food and selling all of their wares that they had made or grown during the last year. Like many of the other books I have read by Cynthia Rylant, this book mentions dogs, saying that they “lie before the fire” during the fall. She seems to be a big dog-lover. This book would be a great way to teach kids about the fall and what happens during that season.

I will leave you with a quote from the last page: “In November, at winter’s gate, the stars are brittle. They sun is a sometime friend. And the world has tucked her children in, with a kiss on their heads, til spring.” This is such a fitting description of what happens during the fall, and I love the personification of the world as if it is a loving mother.