A group of rural children enjoy the beauty of autumn in this charming wordless board book from Dutch picture-book creator Gerda Muller. Walking in the rain, playing in the leaves, flying a kite - there are many pleasures to be had in the fall...

Originally published in the Netherlands as Herfst, this is one of a collection of four board books from Muller, each devoted to a different season. Each title - Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter - was published separately in this wordless edition by Edinburgh-based Floris Books, while all four were combined by New York-based Dutton Children's Books as Circle of the Seasons, with text added by Lucia Monfried. I have not read the Monfried title, but given my enjoyment of these individual board books, am becoming quite curious about it. Autumn is a lovely book, although American readers should note that given the Dutch cultural context of the book, some of the festivals we associate with this time of year - Halloween and Thanksgiving in particular - are not depicted. Leaving that aside (and it is not a criticism, just an observation), Muller's artwork here captures all the joy of this particular season. Recommended, together with its companions, to anyone looking for board books about the seasons, as well as to those who enjoy wordless picture-books. ( )