Goodbye Summer, Hello Autumn

by Kenard Pak

As trees sway in the cool breeze, blue jays head south, and leaves change their colors, everyone knows--autumn is on its way!

Join a young girl as she takes a walk through forest and town, greeting all the signs of the coming season. In a series of conversations with every flower and creature and gust of wind, she says good-bye to summer and welcomes autumn.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Nature, Storytime, Summer, Animals, Fiction

32 pages, Hardcover

First published August 16, 2016

About the author

Kenard Pak has illustrated several acclaimed picture books, including Have You Heard the Nesting Bird? by Rits Gray and a sequence of seasonal books that began with Goodbye Summer, Hello Autumn, which he also wrote. He has worked as an aimator on many films with Dreamworks, Walt Disney Feature Animation, and Laika. Pak lives and works in San Francisco, California.

Reviews

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm rounding up to four stars given that this made a good impression on my children and they have asked for multiple reads. I personally find the text a bit pedestrian and I really wish the publisher had chosen different fonts for when the child is speaking vs. when the various parts of nature are speaking. (That would be a very important clue, especially for those of us trying to read aloud, that these are actually different characters speaking.) The illustrations of nature are gorgeous (although I personally am not a big fan of how some of the humans are drawn) and I appreciate the gradual change of the season -- it's just lovely.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

The illustrations are lovely.

[Trish · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like books that accompany you through the seasons and Kenard Pak has created one book for every seasonal change throughout the year.
My review for Spring: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
My review for Summer: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
My review for Winter: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

As trees sway in the cool breeze, blue jays head south, and leaves change colors, everyone knows - autumn is on its way!
Join a young girl as she takes a walk through forest and town, greeting all the signs of the coming season. In a series of conversations with every flower and creature and gust of wind, she says goodbye to summer and welcomes autumn.



I looove autumn! The colour of the leaves as well as the rustle it makes walking through them, the cool (sometimes crispy) air, the cozy feeling of sitting inside with a hot mug of tea and a good book while it's pouring or even storming outside ... *contented sigh* And let's not forget carving pumpkins for Halloween (which this book unfortunately didn't mention at all)!

Anyway, probably my favorite season, though I love almost all, so I was especially excited for this one and I’m happy to say that it didn’t disappoint.

[Abigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

A young girl greets the world around her - the morning, the trees, the animals, the wind, and so on - in this lovely picture-book examination of the turning of the seasons. Each entity returns the girl's greeting, describing how they are changing or what they are doing in preparation for the coming of autumn. After a day spent walking around, the girl goes home and goes to sleep, awakening the next day to a world transformed...

Given my great love of autumn - it is my favorite season of the year! - and my appreciation for the beauty of its cover, I picked up Goodbye Summer, Hello Autumn with a pleasing sense of anticipation. Although the artwork, done in watercolor and pencil, and then enhanced digitally, more than lived up to my expectations, unfortunately I found the text a bit pedestrian. When well done, this kind of "child interacts with the wide, wide world" type of story can be very appealing, but Kenard Pak's text here just felt rather flat. Tastes vary of course, so other readers might react differently. For my part, I enjoyed the book enough to track down the sequel, Goodbye Autumn, Hello Winter , but it is primarily for its lovely artwork that I would recommend it.

[Luisa Knight · Rating 3 out of 5]

The late summer/autumn pictures are scrumptious!

Ages: 4 - 8

Cleanliness: nothing to note.

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[Agnė · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 out of 5
The illustrations, which remind me of Jon Klassen's artwork, are full of color and lyricism.


But although I adored the illustrations, the text seems a little bit forced. The nature's responses to the girl's greetings are informative, explaining the changes that take place as the autumn replaces the summer, but they are not very imaginative or engaging.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gorgeous illustrations with fun details, lovely theme of appreciating going for a walk noticing nature in country and town, I already love it... and then also it hits all the buttons: The child is of indeterminate gender and a warm brown color that really could be of almost any ethnicity. The neighbors are specifically diverse. Great science, including not only named & identifiable bird but also named & identifiable flowers.

Blurb should not refer to the 'girl' (in fact I assumed boy at first). Also I agree with Kathryn that the child should have a different speaking font than the puddle, leaves, blue jay, etc. No notes, but this is more akin to a storybook than a STEM book (thank goodness) so that's ok.

Highly recommended to families who homeschool and do enrichment, ages 4 (3?) up.

[KC · Rating 5 out of 5]

A vibrant color scheme with delightfully racial characters, this book tells the story of what happens when the seasons change from summer to autumn. With the backdrop of city and country life, we observe these environmental transformations; to weather, plants, trees, animals, birds, and people. I loved the illustrations by the author, Kenard Pak and cannot wait to see his other work.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a beautifully illustrated book with an appealing font that perfectly captures the turn of the seasons between summer and autumn. It reflects on the beautiful colors we see in fall, how nature is preparing for winter, and how we are pulling out our woolens! Simply lovely!

[Darinda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Colorful and informative story about the seasons changing from summer to autumn.

[Ad Astra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absolutely gorgeous. I loved reading this to my daughter. I would love to own this and have a whole collection for each season.

[Tasha · Rating 5 out of 5]

A child wearing a flowing red scarf heads out into the woods on a late summer morning. Branches sway in the cool wind. Animals are out and busy looking for food while others are heading south for the winter. Cozy nests and dens are being crafted too. The flowers are catching the last rays of warm summer sun. There are rumbles of thunder and clouds rolling in. Breezes and drizzle and chill enter the air. Leaves are starting to fall too. The child heads out the next day, into autumn.

Pak’s writing is poetic and simple. He allows nature to have a voice in this picture book. The trees talk about the wind, the animals speak to what they are doing to prepare for cold weather, etc. It’s a lovely way to capture the changes through the living things that are experiencing it first hand. The child too is experiencing the changes in temperature, the clouds, the rain and the winds. There is a sense of being immersed in nature and experiencing changing seasons directly as they change from one to another.

Pak’s illustrations truly make this book spectacular. From the flow of the child’s scarf on the page, marking the wind as it blows to the woods itself filled with strong trunks and tall grasses. The tops of the trees shine with the light of late summer and start to change to early autumn as the book progresses, still filled with the same light and air.

This book is a testament to the beauty of changing seasons, the natural aspects of those changes and the vitality of being outside and being part of it. Appropriate for ages 4-6.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is a time when the hot weather in some of our places lessens, and cool weather steps in. The message to the trees, the growing plants, and the animals is to get ready, here comes autumn. In this beautifully illustrated picture book, a young girl has a conversation as she walks through woods. greeting birds and plants, enjoying the day. For example, she says: "Hello playful foxes and singing blue jays." They reply, "Hello! We are busy looking for food. Some of us are heading south to our winter homes." Kenard Pak manages to include quite a bit of the changes when autumn comes, like animals leaving or searching for food and leaves changing color. And he also shows the beauty in luminous colorful pages, just like fall!

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

As much as I hate saying goodbye to summer, it is hard for me to welcome autumn, because I know what is on the other side of it. So many of my friends enjoy the Fall, saying it is their favorite season. I think Kenard Pak knows the very reasons why it is their most treasured time. You can tell by his illustrations and the words he chooses to help celebrate its beauty.

[Nadine in NY Jones · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a lovely and simple picture book, ideal for the youngest children. The art was digitally enhanced watercolor and pencil, with the look of woodblock printing. There are plenty of details that children will enjoy discovering (cats in the window, flowers handed to passers-by, red and yellow leaves appear, etc). I especially appreciated that it was all quite accurate (for my part of the world, anyway).

If my children were still young, I would love reading this series to them as the seasons change; it's a shame it wasn't around back then. But this picture book doesn't offer much for an adult reader. (That's fine, I'm not the intended audience!)

[Jillian · Rating 3 out of 5]

What if all the stuff in Goodnight Moon said goodnight back? And didn't rhyme?
That's the feeling of this story. A child wanders through the woods and town, saying hello to all the things that define late summer - the thunder, the flowers, the little critters - and they answer back, explaining what they're doing as the seasons change.
The illustrations are beautiful, full of the vibrant colors of summer and autumn.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

A child and dog pair set out from home, through the woods, by a river, and into town, greeting other creatures and marking the signs of the season. “Hello!” the beavers reply. “We have no time to play because we’re making cozy nests and dens. It will be cold soon, and we want to get ready.” The quaint Americana setting and papercut-style illustrations reminded me of Vermont college towns and Jon Klassen’s work. I liked the focus on nature.

[Deb (Readerbuzz) Nance · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cybils nominee for best fiction picture book.

[Viviane Elbee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful illustrations.

This is a concept book about changing seasons.

Kids enjoyed it.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pleasant book about the seasons by author/illustrator Kenard Pak, who also created the illustrations for Patricia MacLachlan's The Hundred-Year Barn. His creative vision and style are very distinctive. This book follows a little girl as she greets different aspects of nature and receives responses from them about how they adjust to the changing seasons - chipmunks making cozy nests and dens, the breezy wind whooshing through the misty streets, the sun setting earlier and earlier, and so on. Pak used digitally enhanced watercolor and pencil to create these lovely illustrations to help children welcome autumn and say goodbye to summer.

[Christine Irvin · Rating 5 out of 5]

A young girl takes a walk through the woods and to town during a late summer morning, noticing things along the way. She says "Hello" to the trees and the foxes and the blue jays and other things in the woods. Each return her greeting and tell how they are preparing for the upcoming winter. In town she says hello to the breezy wind. It answers by telling her it's time to bring out "thick sweaters and scarves."

When she returns to her house, she says, "Goodbye, summer." The next day she says, "Hello, autumn."

[sekar banjaran aji · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is telling you about how weather changes. Slowly moving forward to the next season with great illustrations. The boy who is telling the story also changing his clothes. it’s good to remind me of move on is something that natural.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

5 star illustrations, 3 star text.

[Kris Dersch · Rating 3 out of 5]

Agree with a friend's review on this...5 star illustrations, 3 star text.

[Angel Torres · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lovely thing!

[jiawen · Rating 4 out of 5]

tiktok book reading again

love how gentle this was and how the changing of seasons introduced the different types of animals + how they adapt to the different seasons

[R. L. Peterson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book! The concept is perfect for seasonal transitions and the artwork is adorable!

[Becky Loader · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nicely illustrated and gentle reading.

[Chinook · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this was an excellent picture book introducing ideas of how plants and animals change and respond to the change of seasons. Lovely illustrations.

[O · Rating 4 out of 5]

Goodbye Summer, Hello Autumn by Kenard Pak is a really nice story about some of the changes that we experience and see as we move away from summertime. The book shows a young girl walking through various parts of her community while interacting with the nature around her. For example, she greets the animals who tell her that they are getting ready by building dens or flying south for the winter. Her journey eventually leads her back home where she wakes up to a bright autumn day. I wish that this book offered some differentiation such as color or font between when the girl spoke and the nature so students could see it clearly. Though I didn't find this particular book as engaging for my kindergarteners, I did love the vivid illustrations that clearly show the changes in the seasons. This book prompted us to discuss the signs of fall and the changes we have been noticing outside such as leaves changing colors and falling and the days getting a bit cooler sand shorter. Another way I used this story with my group of students, is discussing some of the things they do in the summertime that they are saying "Goodbye" to and brainstorming some of the things they are looking forward or saying "Hello" to for the fall time. Extensions could be writing and drawing about fall if more time allowed. Overall, this was a very nice story for all ages to listen to at least once as they welcome autumn once again.