By Carin Berger

As all the other leaves float off and fly past, Little Yellow Leaf thinks, I'm not ready yet. As the seasons change all around, Little Yellow Leaf holds on to the tree. Still not ready. Will Little Yellow leaf ever be ready? This is a story for anyone who has ever been afraid of facing the unknown - an a celebration of the friends who help us take the leap.

By Dennis Haseley
Illustrated by Jim LaMarche

Open your heart and imagination to this magical fantasy about friendship and reading...

One sunlit afternoon, a bear discovers a mysterious fragment of paper that leads him to a cabin and to an unlikely friend. Although he can't understand her words, he returns day after day all summer to hear the woman read to him. Each night he carries the sound of her stories - of sailors and goddesses and far-off lands - back to his cave. The stories are from another world, but their sound touches him.

Dennis Haseley's inspired fantasy about the magic of friendship will enchant any child who has ever been read to. Illuminated by Jim LaMarche's illustrations, A Story for Bear celebrates the wonders of reading.

By Tomie dePaola
Illustrated by Tomie dePaola

Every year Strega Nona carefully plants her seeds and uses her magic touch to grow her garden. Her helper Big Anthony figures he should be able to grow a garden too. But Big Anthony is not careful. Soon he has a jungle on his hands - Mamma mia! What will they do with all these vegetables?

By Eden Ross Lipson
Illustrated by Mordicai Gerstein

This tender story gives a charming and unusual urban setting to an American family tradition - and includes a recipe so that readers can celebrate their own Applesauce Season. Caldecott Medal winner Mordicai Gerstein's whimsical illustrations are full of the color and the hum of the city on the crisp, sunny days of fall.

By Kathy Henderson

Gram and Joe are great friends, and they like to spend their time together, taking care of the vegetable patch - with a little help from the good brown earth, of course. But it takes a lot of patience. There's digging time, planting time, weeding time, and watering time. Meanwhile the seasons change, and Joe does things his way while Gram does things her way. Come harvest time, the good brown earth will have many surprises for both of them!

By Carole Gerber
Illustrated by Leslie Evans

How many shapes and colors can you see in autumn leaves? Jump in and find out! From the fiery red maple to the fan-shaped yellow ginkgo, autumn leaves make a perfect pile of colors, just right for jumping into.

Carole Gerber's evocative text highlights eight common types of leaves, while Leslie Evans's hand-colored linoleum-cut illustrations bring the vivid colors of autumn to life.

By Donald Hall
Illustrated by Barbara Cooney

By Denise Fleming
Illustrated by Denise Fleming

A chill is in the air and Bear knows it is time for her winter nap. But first, she must tell Snail. And Snail must tell Skunk. And Skunk must tell Turtle. Each animal who tries to put off going to sleep just a little longer sees, smells, hears, or tastes the signs of the impending season. Finally, Ladybug rushes off to tell Bear - already asleep in her cave - the exciting news. Time to Sleep is a perfect bedtime story, one that is sure to warm the heart in any season, anywhere.

By Kevin Henkes

Snug and warm, curled and furry, Old Bear sleeps. Red, orange, and brown leaves fly through the air, and it is snowing hard. Old Bear doesn't notice. Old Bear is dreaming about being a cub again. He is dreaming about the beauty of the world. He is dreaming about everything he loves.

By Jane Dyer

Mother Bear tells Little Brown Bear that every baby bear sleeps in the winter. But Little Brown Bear will not. Instead, he follow the geese as they fly south and spends his time with his new friends playing on the beach. Then one day, Little Brown Bear misses his cozy bed and thinks about how his mama and papa must miss him...

By Jane Yolen
Illustrated by Susan Mitchell

A young child with an active imagination comes to terms with the imminent arrival of a sibling. As she and her mother move through their days -- trips to the family farm, a meeting with the mailman -- the young girl imagines a host of babies, each with their own unique characteristics and flaws. A pumpkin baby might be too round, a stork baby could fly away. How on earth will she be able to love such a child? In the end, however, the real-life baby is nothing like she'd expected, and everything she'd hope he would be.