Member Reviews
As a mother I would definitely buy this book for my kid, I think it would also make the perfect gift, I loved the animations and the fact that it was informative, It will definitely encourage younger children outside to look at nature.
I got this on Netgalley in exchange for an honest review!
Okay, I've been waiting for the final book in this seasons series for a while and I LOVE this! Love the queer rep, the cute drawings and the different examples of fall and how nature is during fall! Not my favourite book in the series, but still high up there for me! If you want a cute book teaching kids about key elements of the fall within a story, this is perfect! As always: love the information at the end of the book!
4.5⭐️
'Fall Feast' is a beautifully illustrated picture book about autumn. It is educational, more than plot driven, about two children exploring the outside world and learning about plant and animal life during fall. It also features queer parents in a very brief scene. Following the story, there are a few illustrated pictures in a glossary-like format explaining more about the natural world.
A parent explores the changes in nature that occur in Autumn with her two children. A diverse family structure is tastefully represented with the children’s parents being a same sex couple, but this is not the focus of the story. Themes in nature are discussed such as migration, plant life cycles, hibernation, and decomposition. The glossary and guide at the end of the book is informative and accessible. These additions could easily be used to facilitate other activities or programing with families and children.
The illustrations are bright and colorful. The natural world is the highlight of this book, with more detail given to the nature illustrations rather than the story’s human characters. The writing lends itself to older children, and too many contractions tend to interrupt the story’s flow when reading aloud. I do wish the story indicated animals as seed distributers in a clearer way rather than saying, “this fruit’s tasty” when referring to holly berries, which are toxic to humans. If I were reading this book aloud to children, I would feel the need to clarify that the book is referring to the animals finding the holly berries tasty, and that they are not for people to eat.
This was a cute part story part informational book for children that talks about fall, what happens, what you can do to help wildlife etc and the artwork in it is gorgeous. Highly recommend if you have young kids
I really liked the illustrations in this book (though the mom having blue hair was a strange choice honestly). And I liked how informative it was without being dull. It was also really nice how there was more reference info about fall things at the end.
This book is great for 3 reasons:
1. First, the depiction of a two-mom family, which by now should be common but in my experience is not. I loved seeing it and I am very happy that many children will feel represented by it.
2. The illustrations oh my god!!! They are very pretty and full of details, I personally love autumn and its aesthetics, so this was wonderful.
3. It is a very informative book in disguise. I'm not going to lie, at the end there were quite a few fun facts I didn't know about animals and fall in general. I really appreciate how it will make children more aware of the planet and how we can take care of it.
*Thanks to NetGalley uk, the publishers and the author for the ARC*
What a great book for children to explain all about nature and what happens during Fall. It explains why some animals store food and get ready to hibernate. On a walk with children in the fall time, the pictures in the back show many things you can look for and find during fall hikes.
Thank you NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group for the arc copy.
A bright, colourful and educational read. This seasonal book is both entertaining and enlightening. It will keep young readers engaged as they explore the world around them and learn about nature and tpseasonal changes. A lovely addition to any personal or school library. Highly recommend.
4 Stars
I’m ready for autumn! Heck, I’m always ready for cool weather. The warm cover was all I needed to read this book. I love that it has a lesbian couple with two little happy kids. Mom has silver hair with a pixie cut, and Mama has black hair with blue highlights. So cool!
The illustrations are beautiful. The vibrant colors light up the screen. There’s a touch of blur, which adds to the ethereal effect. I’m not that sure about the expressions on some pages, but nature is very well done.
The story, as such, is simple. The kids go to the park with their Mama, and she explains things about fall. The narration is not smooth. It feels jerky and clunky. The writing could do with some editing and restructuring to elevate the content.
We have a few pages of additional information at the end about the season, plants, animals, insects, fungi, etc. There are a couple of resources and some tips, too!
To summarize, Fall Feast is an informative and lovely book introducing the colorful season to kids. Would be better if kids read it with parents since there’s some exploration, which can be risky if little ones touch random insects or eat berries without parental supervision.
Thank you, NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group – Frances Lincoln Children's Books | Happy Yak, for eARC. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.
As the cover page suggests, this book is about fall/autumn and the illustrations are a nice mix of watercolour to copic art looking digital illustrations. They have amazing colours of fall and depict tender, curious and lovely moments of family life and the season.
The glossary/guide and the how you can help sections are a nice addition.
An inclusive book, told from the POV of a child in a family of four, with Mom and Mama and two siblings.
Enjoyed it plenty and will revisit it.
Pros: I am always looking for new books to share with the children in my life. The cover of this book caught my attention immediately because of its lovely illustration--I was delighted to see that this continues throughout the book. This book is a great celebration of all things autumn (at least for places that get to experience the different seasons). My favorite pages in this book were those after the story that talked about fall, plants, animals, etc because I love when books teach readers and encourage activities.
Cons: This is not a con but more a note to readers--I assumed this was going to be more of a picture book, but there are a lot of words on the pages. This will be a great book for older readers or for adults to read with younger readers.
Thank you to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group – Frances Lincoln Children's Books | Happy Yak for the opportunity to read this book.
This is a super cute and informative children's book. The art was really beautiful and I loved how they made their own fall feast and den at the end. Would be a great option for teaching young kids about fall and nature, in general, through story.
Look everywhere outside among the trees, leaves, grasses, small animals, birds and more to see the wonderful feast that autumn is providing! Enjoy the fine details in the artwork! The last few pages are depictions of things along with a paragraph of helpfulness.
The illustrations by Cinyee Chiu are fun, brilliantly colorful, and delightful.
Well suited for reading WITH someone of any age including ESL, and great for gifting to anyone, but especially to a school or your local public library!
I requested and received a free temporary e-book on Adobe Digital Editions from Quarto Publishing Group/Frances Lincoln Children's Books/HappyYak via NetGalley. Thank you!
@QuartoKids @CBCBook @Frances_Lincoln @TheQuartoGroup #HappyYak
This is a beautiful picture book about the beauty of autumn. It is a bit more wordy than expected, but nothing that is too difficult. It is packed with trivia knowledge about nature in autumn and it is beautifully illustrated.
If you are looking for a beautifully illustrated, quick and cozy fall read look no further! While the writing might be better suited for upper elementary children, the premise is universal. A mama and her children decide to take advantage of a beautiful fall day. While on a very informative nature walk, they gather supplies for their own fall feast! There are additional information on wildlife habits that have cute illustrations in the back of the book.
While I did like the premise of the book, I was disappointed in the book itself. The illustrations were excellent, but the story itself needs work. I love the idea of the family going on a nature walk in the park, as my family does the same. I feel as though, with a good editor, changes could be made to improve this for children’s understanding and readability. The first thing I noticed is that there are entirely too many contractions. There are adjectives that could be improved on, spelling errors, and a lot of incomplete sentences. It makes the story sound very choppy. We teach our children not to start sentences with “and” or “but.” This book does a lot of that. The redundancy of “hundreds and hundreds and thousands” could be improved. I would also change the part about the kids looking for something “tasty” to feast on so that a child doesn’t consume poisonous berries. The glossary in the back is an excellent idea, but could use consistency in what’s found there, like “hiding” sounded strange. If these improvements were made I would purchase this book. I want to love this book!
Time to share my weekly children’s book reviews. My kids get so excited to see what books I have to read before naps, bedtime, or at breakfast. There are some really cute ones to add to your children’s summer reading book lists!
Scooper and Dumper and the Pumpkin Parade by Lindsay Ward comes out July 8th. My three boys loved the trucks adventures with the pumpkins.
A Rubbish Journey by Jonah Rideout was a really cute chapter book my daughter loved. The story was fun, and entertaining. It comes out June 24.
Keep Trucking by Raven Howell was an adorable book. The illustrations were super cute and my boys again loved the truck story. It comes out May 10.
Ain’t It Funny by Margaret Gurevich was another fun chapter book about following your dreams. My daughter really enjoyed this one. It comes out October 14.
What Are They Feeling by the School of Life is one that is so sweet and great to explain emotions. The kids and I had some fun conversations to follow this one. It comes out September 11.
The Great Turkey Walk by Kathleen Kar is a wonderful story of friendship, and takes you back to 1860. It comes out October 7.
Hailma Superhero Princess by Emily Joof was adorable. The storyline and illustrations were very exciting for the kids. It comes out September 2.
The Sun Never Hurries by Roxane Turcotte was my favorite. Such a precious story and the illustrations were darling. It comes out June 24.
Make a Little Wave by Kerry O’Malley Cerra is a really exciting story! My daughter said this was her favorite. She loved the characters. It comes out September 30.
To Mimi’s House We Go by Susan Meissner was another of my favorite. The story, the pictures, the adventure it took you on was absolutely precious. A fun one for the holidays. Comes out Sept 9.
Leonardo Cohen by Maria Isabel Sanchez-Vegara was a cute story! My kids love to learn new things and these are always so full of knowledge to take away. It comes out August 5.
Fall Feast by Sean Taylor made our family very excited for playing in the leaves. It comes out August 5.
Diwali by Sital Gorasia Chapman was such a good one for kids to learn about another culture. It comes out August 5.
What an adorable and accessible book! It provides insights to what kids would ask about fall & give a nugget of info that catalyzes further convos when fall comes and we’re out for family walks. I also appreciate the picture guide at the end.
A read-aloud recommendation for fall storytimes for public and school librarians. Mom and Mama know that their kids need a walk outside in the woods even though the temperature has shifted from summer to chill fall. Mama takes the kids on a woodland walk filled with bite-sized facts about the animals, plants, and fungi all around them. Includes a visual glossary with additional facts.