Product Description

In November, the air grows cold and the earth and all of its creatures prepare for winter. Animals seek food and shelter. And people gather together to celebrate their blessings with family and friends.
Cynthia Rylant's lyrical language and Jill Kastner's rich, cozy paintings capture the cherished moments of this autumn month--the moments we spend together and the ones we witness in the world around us.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #254722 in Books
• Published on: 2000-09-15
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 32 pages

From School Library Journal
PreSchool-Grade 2-A poetic text reflects on the month when "the earth is growing quiet." A friendly mouse draws readers into the book by peeking from under a leaf on the cover and title page, scurrying across the dedication page and onto the first spread, and then disappearing. Birds and animals experience the cold, which causes the cows to sleep and the horses to shiver; bees hibernate in "deep, earthy holes-And dogs lie before the fire." A large extended family visits and shares a meal to give thanks, then travels home at night. The well-paced, skillfully painted oil-on-paper paintings are mostly full spreads. Dramatic angles, strong composition, and interesting perspectives enhance the descriptive text. Although not as colorful and appealing as Lois Ehlert's Red Leaf, Yellow Leaf (Harcourt, 1991) or as funny and entertaining as Dav Pilkey's 'Twas the Night Before Thanksgiving (Orchard, 1990), this book establishes the mood and feel of November. It is an agreeable storytime companion to the above titles, helpful for classrooms wishing to explore the month using their senses, and satisfying for one-on-one sharing.
Debbie Stewart, Grand Rapids Public Library, MI
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
Ages 4-7. "In November, the earth is growing quiet. It is making its bed, a winter bed for flowers and small creatures. The bed is white and silent, and much life can hide beneath its blankets." Poetic language and lovely oil paintings evoke the traditional and seasonal activities that occur in November. Families gather around the table for a Thanksgiving feast, cats snuggle together in the corner of the barn, "staying birds" bid farewell to "leaving birds" beginning their long journeys. Rylant's words are simple but evocative and filled with wonderful sensory images, similes, and metaphors: the bare November trees are "all sticks and bones . . . spreading their arms like dancers." The smell of November food "is an orange smell. A squash and a pumpkin smell." The verbal images are splendidly captured in Kastner's soft-edged, double-spread paintings, which are rendered in a palette of warm autumn colors and sepia tones. The rich illustrations, done in a painterly style with obvious brushstrokes and texture built up from thick layers of oil paint, are a perfect match for the text. This handsome book is sure to become a new fall favorite. Lauren Peterson
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review
November is an in-between time, a time when the air grows colder and nights grow longer. It's a time when the earth and all of its creatures prepare for the oncoming winter. It's a time of harvest and thanksgiving, when people gather together to celebrate their blessings with family and friends. All of this, and more, are captured within the pages of this captivating hardcover picture book. Rylant's words are plainspoken and poetic, crisp as an autumn apple. Kastner's luscious oil paintings are rendered with bold, loose strokes in a traditional fall palette—rich reds, warm browns, soft yellows, bright oranges and frosty whites. Words and pictures work well together, and the overall effect is one of calm, peaceful transition from one season to the next. A great read-aloud for classroom or home. 2000, Harcourt Inc., Ages 3 to 7. (Children's Literature - Dianne Ochiltree )

Customer Reviews

In November
What happens in November? This story is beautifully illustrated to depict different activities that occur in late fall as the earth and its' creatures prepare for winter. Cynthia Rylant uses a combination of similies and metaphors to capture the reader/listner and draw them into the book. Jill Kastner's paintings blend colors to give a striking contrast on each page that grabs the eyes of the audience to pull them into the text. The realistic activities and traditions depicted in the story are brought to life by the rhthym of the text. The children nod and join in when they hear "In November, the animals sleep more. The air is chilly and they ...shiver!" As the children explore the page with their eyes, there is no doubt that they can relate to feeling chilly and shivering themselves at one time. There is no specific reference made to Thanksgiving in the text, but listners quickly pick up on the special day in November, where friends or families travel to see each other, share a special meal together, and give thanks for their many blessings. As the listners see the final page of the boook, many will oohh and aaahhh, and volunteer, they too, have traveled home after a special dinner at night. The audience of this book gains a sense of peace and belonging to our earth, as they relate to some or many of the illustrations and text in some way. CMH

Rylant Does It Again!
We just finished reading this in my Children's Literacy class. It was an apt example of "Voice" in writing. Cynthia Rylant, whom I adore as an author, once again writes a beautifully descriptive book about the month of November. This book is a must for any children's library.

In November
Cynthia Ryland does it again! A wonderful book for use with teaching metaphors. Her descriptive words gives visual meaning to each sentence. A wonderful book to use with six traits writing "Voice" and teaching inference to young children. Each page is filled with words to ponder, reflect, relate and to write about. Although there is no reference to Thanksgiving, many children relate to the special day and time with relatives. A perfect book for November and a perfect title. The illustrations are beautiful; giving a feeling of warmth to the words. Every teacher should own a copy.