By Cyrisse Jaffee

These new children’s books explore different aspects associated with fall—starting school, understanding yourself, and Indigenous storytelling.

Blue Sky Morning by Kim Jihyun. Originally published in Seoul. Floris Books, 2025.
Alone & Together by Emilie Chazerand. Illustrated by Amandine Piu. Originally published in France. Abrams, 2026.
Fire in Your Belly by Rebecca Lafond. Illustrated by Aly McKnight. Chronicle Books, 2026.

When Eunny wakes up in Blue Sky Morning by Kim Jihyun, it’s time to get ready for school. The people in the town “are starting their busy days,” and best of all, it’s a beautiful day. Eunny greets Grandpa, already back from his morning walk. They play together while Grandma makes eggs and Mom drinks her coffee. Then it’s time to go outside, where the air feels “cool and fresh.” Despite the hustle and bustle around them, Eunny and Mom stop to appreciate the blooming pink petals, the sky “so big and so blue,” and the quiet time they share as they talk about the day ahead.

Kids will relate to Eunny, and the book perfectly captures the joys of being a little kid, the comfort of home, and the excitement of a new season. Inspired by the author’s “unhurried mornings with her daughter in their neighborhood in Seoul, South Korea,” this book is a celebration of the everyday routines that are made special by Eunny’s observations and sense of joy. The lovely, detail-filled illustrations are a delight and greatly add to the book’s appeal.

Deceptively simple, Alone & Together, written by Emilie Chazerand and illustrated by Amandine Piu, is a meditation of sorts on the pleasures of being by yourself and being with others. Each double-page spread presents an “alone” truth (“Alone, we are strong”) that leads into a “together” truth (“Together, we are invincible”). The “alone” spreads are filled with small drawings and lots of white space. One almost imagines each spread as a whisper or a sigh of relief. The “together” pages are filled with action and energy—kids on a playground, a bed full of cats, a field of flowers.

The illustrations are friendly and fun, filled with blues and greens and a pop of red now and then. A cutout design leads logically from one spread to the next. The reassuring message at the end (“Alone and together, we are at our best!”) will resonate with extroverts and introverts alike. Read aloud, one-on-one or in a group, the book could inspire some great conversations about different personalities and moods, and about how to recognize that “happiness” isn’t the same for everyone.

As National Indigenous People’s Day approaches, Fire in Your Belly, by Rebecca Laford and illustrated by Aly McKnight, is a poetic and powerful way to introduce children to Indigenous culture and storytelling. Its strong subplot about a young girl trying to make sense of her emotions and identity will also engage young readers.

Aided by color-drenched, full-page illustrations that explode with yellows, oranges, and pinks, the story begins with the girl’s grandmother (Kookum) explaining how all living things came to be. “Kookum says one day embers fell from the sky, and they proudly planted themselves in the soil. That’s how we came to be.” The natural world developed and grew, from the whisper of the wind to the sweetgrass all around, to the “fresh garden raspberries, tangy on my tongue,” to coyotes and frogs, and so on. Humans retained little pieces of the sky that “lived warm in our bellies.”

Sometimes the girl feels the embers burn, but her grandmother reassures her that it’s okay to feel strong emotions, even if they seem like an angry bear inside or result in tears. Happiness can be fed by laughter and love. Each person’s embers also give them courage and strength to meet challenges. Each person has their own special spark.

As the girl learns from the wisdom of grandparents, follows the traditional customs of her people, and walks “the same trails that my ancestors forged,” she feels grateful to “the Creator, the Spirits, and Mother Earth.” The book ends with the girl and her grandmother expressing their gratitude and awareness of the connection that exists “to all that is, ever way, and will be.”

The author, who is from the Beardy’s and Okemasis Cree Nation, notes that the story is based on her own experiences with her grandparents. Kids will be enchanted by the splendid illustrations and the messages within the narrative. The story can inspire children, especially those in third grade and above, to reflect on what their own “spark” is, what causes their big feelings, and what can “feed” that spark so they can be happy. (Note: If you are using this in a classroom, be aware that the book mentions a creator and contains other spiritual beliefs.)