The Reading Nook – Goodbye Summer, Hello Autumn
Goodbye Summer, Hello Autumn can be found in the Duplin County library system. If your local branch doesn’t have it, give them a few days and they can usually locate it for you!
Hello, and welcome back to “The Reading Nook” where the focus is using great stories to create special moments between caregivers and the young children they love!
All good things must come to an end. And for summer lovers everywhere, this week is officially the end of the season. But, the silver lining is … FALL is here! At least, that’s what the calendar says. Though we know here in eastern NC, it will be quite a while before cooler temperatures are here to stay, this week is still the perfect time to introduce your child to the changing seasons. Goodbye Summer, Hello Autumn, by Kenard Pak, is a simple and lovable story about a young girl who takes a walk and says HELLO to all the signs of fall she sees.
BEFORE YOUR READ: It’s probably a good idea to have a little talk about all four seasons before you begin the story. Make sure to explain that autumn and fall are just two names for the same season. You may want to tell your child that the story is about a little girl taking a nature walk and see if they can predict some of the things she may see on her way.
WHILE YOU READ: Stop and talk about what your child notices on the pages. It’s a good strategy to read the words to your child and then have them “say more” about each page by being good noticers of the illustrations. See if any of your child’s predictions come true as you read. Explain that while we may not see all these signs of autumn right away, they will come in time and will lead us into winter.
AFTER YOU READ:
Look back through the story at the different signs of autumn that your child noticed. Have them choose their favorite pages and tell you why they chose those pages.
Talk about what you will miss about summer, and what you look forward to in fall.
Show your child a calendar and let them count the days of fall, beginning in September and ending in December. Notice the holidays that you pass as you’re counting those days.
Take your own nature walk. Look for signs of fall that you read about in the story and also signs of summer that haven’t yet gone away. You can even do a fall scavenger hunt and look for certain things to collect. Here a free downloadable one from DotheKanagan, but you could also easily make up your own. Happy walking and happy autumn!
For more good books about fall, you may want to look for these, also in the Duplin County library system:
Happy reading, and, from Emilie Buchwald, always remember, “Children are made readers on the laps of their parents.” See you next week with another great book!
