(“Whitaker Ponds/Portland, Ore.”/ Photo by Rawley/ use with permission only, please) You know, all of a sudden it’s fall, and the long, hot summer is over. It wasn’t the best summer here. It wasn’t the worst. But I miss those long, hot summers from when I was a kid. Fall books make it all better.

• “America Gives Thanks” is a new picture book from author Bob McKinnon, with lovely illustrations from artist Thai My Phuong. (Penguin Workshop/Penguin Random House, 2025, all ages, $19.99.) This book made me smile because it starts out: “Have you ever wondered why people complain so much?” I just did complain, but dang it, it was a long, hot, pretty miserable summer here in the Willamette Valley on the West Coast of America. I don’t wanna talk about it, I’m over it. Back to the book… Mr. Downs is taking his class to Washington, D.C. on an East Coast school field trip, and some of the kids are not excited. Statues? Paintings? Politicians fighting? So let’s see how this goes. Great story, beautiful autumn colors, and the students? They actually learn a lot along the way. And so do we.
• “Pablo Neruda: Poet of the People,” by Monica Brown, with illustrations by Julie Paschkis (Henry Holt and Company, 2011, all ages, $17.99). I love this picture book, and I love poetry. Very fond of Neruda. It’s always fun to find a new way to introduce this form of writing to children young and old. “Once there was a little boy named Neftalí, who loved wild things wildly and quiet things quietly,” our story begins. He lived in Chile, and when he hit his teens, changed his name to Pablo Neruda and began publishing his poems. (His full given name was Ricardo Eliecer Neftalí Reyes Basoalto, and he was born in Parral, Chile, in 1904.) Awesome biography, glad I came across it. Highly recommend. Great list of resources in the back of the book, for further reading.
• “The Sacred Stone Camp” is another picture book for all ages that I think you’ll enjoy. Rae Rose wrote this profile of indigenous activist and historian LaDonna BraveBull Allard, her family and the Standing Rock Lakota Nation. Aly McKnight illustrated with colorful and detailed drawings that bring the story to life. (Dial Books for Young Readers; scheduled for release Oct. 7, 2025; $18.99.)

My pick of the week is: “The Sacred Stone Camp.”

All of the books included in this post were sent to me free for review purposes. Disclaimer here. Thank you for reading and see you next time!

WM