For the Love of Autumn

For the Love of Autumn

Written and Illustrated by Patricia Polacco

Genre- Realistic Fiction/ Romance 

Interest Level- K-2

Grade Level Equivalent- 4.8

Are you an animal lover? Has an animal ever changed your life? In For the Love of Autumn an energetic cat changes her owners lives forever. This is an amazing story of cats mischief helps change her owner’s life forever. This story will have you running home to hug your own animals!

            A young woman named Danielle is in need of a companion, she adopts an adorable kitten. She names the kitten Autumn, and they become best friends and do every thing together. Danielle gets a teaching position by the ocean so they pack up everything and move. Autumn is always getting into trouble and making Danielle’s new house a mess. All of the students in the class adore the kitten. One afternoon there is a terrible storm and Autumn disappears. Danielle and her students spend day after day looking for Autumn but she is no where to be found. Danielle is devastated and starts to think Autumn will never return home. Then Autumn mysteriously returns home with a new collar. Danielle panics because someone is trying to keep her precious cat! After arguing over Autumn with the other owner they decide to meet. It turns out to be love at first sight and all thanks to the amazing cat.

            For the Love of Autumn is an amazing children’s book. It is very well written and has amazing illustrations. This story allows us to make personal connection to the text, because most of us have had a beloved animal that changed our lives.  The story engages the reader and is hard to put down. The illustrations correlate perfectly with the story and they help enhance the meaning of the text.

            For the Love of Autumn  is realistic fiction. It is realistic fiction because this story is not true, but it could very easily happen. This is a realistic story for children because all of them have a pet or know someone who has one. Danielle acts like a typical young adult in this story because she starts her career, adopts a pet, and falls in love. She becomes very upset when Autumn goes missing and this is a typical human response. She becomes angry when a man tries to claim her cat as his own but she grows to become understanding of the man's situation. The setting of this story could defiantly happen. For the majority of the story the setting takes place in a small beach town. This story is also a romance because Danielle finds the love of her life and marries him. A lot of the children love a happily ever after and this story is a perfect example of one. 

            I would use this book in my first grade class. The students will love to hear the inspiring tale of the rambunctious cat that helps her owner find true love.  This could start a class discussion about pets. The students can write a short story about a pet that they know. This story would also be a great way to start a discussion about treating animals with respect. For the Love of Autumn will keep the students engaged and they will be able to connect their personal experience with this story.

Links to MA Frameworks:

1.      Ask and answer questions about key details in a text.

2.      Retell stories, including key details, and demonstrate understanding of their central message or lesson.

3.      Describe characters, settings, and major events in a story, using key details.

Craft and Structure

4.      Identify words and phrases in stories or poems that suggest feelings or appeal to the senses.

5.      Explain major differences between books that tell stories and books that give information, drawing on a wide reading of a range of text types.

6.      Identify who is telling the story at various points in a text.

Integration of Knowledge and Ideas

7.      Use illustrations and details in a story to describe its characters, setting, or events.

8.      (Not applicable to literature)

MA.8.A.  Identify characteristics commonly shared by folktales and fairy tales.

9.      Compare and contrast the adventures and experiences of characters in stories.

Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity

10.   With prompting and support, read prose and poetry of appropriate complexity for grade 1.