Little Elliot, Fall Friends
By Regan McMahon,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Sweet tale of friendship in luscious fall country setting.

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What's the Story?
LITTLE ELLIOT, FALL FRIENDS follows Elliot the elephant and his best friend, Mouse, as they vacation from the city to the country in autumn. They come by bus and enjoy the fall colors and fresh air. They get separated while playing hide-and-seek, when Elliot hides in the cornfield and Mouse never finds him. But Mouse lures him to the farmhouse by putting a sweet-smelling apple pie on the windowsill, and they're reunited. Then the two enjoy a fall feast with their new friends: the farm's horse, cow, pig, dog, and chicken.
Is It Any Good?
This warm and gentle story celebrates both fall and friendship and continues the adventures of Elliot and Mouse. Little Elliot, Fall Friends shows kids a lot about the season, including its yellow, red, and orange colors and the produce harvested at this time: apples, corn, pumpkins. At the center, as always, is our two heroes' loving, caring relationship. And this time they meet new animal friends, too, and spend a cozy night sleeping on the hay in their barn.
Author-illustrator Mike Curato's art is spectacular, contrasting the bustling, noisy, dirty city with the vast, peaceful country landscape, and capturing the intimate, changing emotions of Elliot and Mouse.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how fall looks in Little Elliot, Fall Friends. How do you know the season has changed from summer? What looks different? What feels different? What fall foods do you enjoy?
Do you live in the city or the country? How are they different?
Mouse figures out a way to get Elliot to come find him. What could a friend do to find you if you were missing?
Book Details
- Author: Mike Curato
- Illustrator: Mike Curato
- Genre: Picture Book
- Topics: Science and Nature
- Book type: Fiction
- Publisher: Henry Holt & Company, Inc.
- Publication date: September 6, 2017
- Number of pages: 40
- Available on: Hardback, iBooks, Kindle
- Last updated: September 6, 2017
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