Fall Ball
McCarty celebrates the fall season in this picture-book ode to falling leaves, warm sweaters, and football. A slew of egg-shaped kids of varying ethnicities are traveling home from school on the bus, happy because “they have waited all day for their chance to play.” Once the seven boys and two girls get off at the same stop, it’s time for football in the park. Sparky the Hondo-esque dog joins in the fun, capturing the ball in his mouth and running through a pile of freshly raked leaves. When it’s time to go home, there’s yummy pie on the table, warm blankets on the couch, and, yes, football on TV. (Snowflakes gently falling outside make a picture-perfect backdrop.) This story, while slight, is fall coziness personified. McCarty’s pen, ink, and watercolor illustrations are full of familiar McCarty details, like the tiny bunny pictured on the side of the school bus and framed pictures of chickens—and kids will have fun spotting them. An old-timey-feeling picture book, this is high on nostalgia, both for football and a simpler way of life. Preschool-Grade 1. --Ann Kelley