The Fall Festival

Little Critter

by Mercer Mayer

Join Mercer Mayer’s classic and beloved character, Little Critter® and his family on their exciting road trip to the Fall Festival! From apple picking to hayrides, discover how fun the harvest season can be. Fall is an exciting season in Critterville! Every year, Little Critter ® and his family take a trip to one of the most beloved events in Critterville—the Fall Festival. From picking apples and taking hayrides to choosing the perfect pumpkin, no wonder everyone loves this time of year. Little The Fall Festival is a My First I Can Read book, which means it’s perfect for shared reading with a child.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Halloween, Fiction, Holiday, Animals

32 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

Mercer Mayer is an American children's author and illustrator. He has published over 300 books, using a wide range of illustrative styles. Mayer is best known for his Little Critter and Little Monster series of books.

Reviews

[La Coccinelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't know. Maybe Little Critter just isn't for me. I'm familiar with the character, but this is the second of the Little Critter Readers I've tried, and it just didn't excite me. I suppose when I'm seeing a book with this much text, I'm looking for more of a story. This is basically just Little Critter and his family going to the festival, buying apples, picking a pumpkin, and playing some games. Little Critter eats too many apples throughout the day, but that's really the only interesting thing in the story; the rest is sort of like a list of things that the family does.

The pictures are sort of cute, but I think the fact that Little Critter creeps me out a bit is colouring my view of these books. Also, in this one, he keeps talking about other "critters". Now, I thought that a "critter" was some nondescript guinea pig-type creature. But in this book, "critters" are all sorts of things: raccoons, bears, mice, etc. It's bad enough that this kid is named "Little Critter", but now we find out that "critter" isn't even that specific? It would be like naming your human child "Little Vertebrate". Kind of weird...

Anyway, I think I've said enough about this one. I know this character has his fans, but I don't even know if I'd recommend this book to them. It's really light on plot, and doesn't really offer much (except maybe some nudges and winks to parents about sticky kids whining about getting a huge pumpkin).

[Melki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Little Critter and his family have loads of fun at a harvest festival. They buy apples, go on a hayride, and pick out pumpkins for Halloween. So much FALL crammed in so few pages.
You can almost smell the autumn air!

[Roberta Decenzo · Rating 5 out of 5]

A cute childhood classic found while out shopping. Was nice to take a moment and read through and revisit a bit of my childhood for a moment.

[Jessica]

Who doesn't love a little critter book :) This book is good for emergent readers. Lots of sight words and an easy to follow story about the little critters going to the fall festival.

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mood after reading this book = 🥴

This is a beginner picture book under the reading level "My First." It really would be a great picture book for those just learning to read.

The plot is seriously lacking, but I think the story sticks to its theme. The title of the book is "The Fall Festival," and that's exactly what you get.

I was hoping to really like this book, but it felt so choppy. The sentences felt so abrupt and disconnected. I KNOW IT IS A BEGINNER BOOK FOR CHILDREN, LOL, but it just read so dry. I even tried reading it aloud, and it just didn't flow nicely.

I did still enjoy the fall aspects of this book. The critters go apple picking, picking for a "Halloween" pumpkin (🙄 why couldn't it just be a normal pumpkin?), for a hay ride, and play some fall games.

I also really like the illustrations!! It's giving 90's-early 2000s vibes. 😎

I would definitely recommend this book for the fall atmosphere and illustrations, but if you're looking for a good plot and engaging writing style, it could be a disappointment.

[Rosa Cline · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fabulous Little Critter Fall celebration book. Including all things about autumn and family togetherness; happiness and having fun. My adult special needs son and I really enjoyed sharing this book together and will read it again. Illustrations are wonderful as well, so for children who can't read text they would enjoy just looking at the illustrations. Again just a wonderful story book.

[Bailey Terry · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series is loved in my classroom and this book is one of our favorites. Mayer captures the excitement each child has for activities at fall festivals. This story shows how a perfectly planned day can have its ups and downs. It shows us Little Critter wanting to do everything perfectly but minor issues keep coming his way. This shows children it is okay to mess up as long as you get back up and keep on going!

[Catherine Petrini · Rating 4 out of 5]

My Little Free Library is low on children's books, so I've picked up some more to add to the collection, and am reading through some of them now.

This early reader is about Mercer Mayer's popular "critter" characters visiting a fall festival, where they eat apples, choose a pumpkin, and have wholesome family fun.

[Selma Ruiz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this is the perfect picture book to capture the essence of autumn. Through the vivid illustrations and simple yet engaging storytelling, readers are transported to a vibrant fall festival filled with pumpkins, games, and fun. This book really evoked feelings of nostalgia and excitement for the fall season.

[Yesica Mendez-Sandoval]

Th book was very simple and quick to read through. It was about a family going to a fall festival while also describing the activities they did. My favorite activity they mentioned was the horseshow throwing, mostly because it reminded me of my family when we play it. they also mentioned the food they eat and planned to make.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have always loved Little Critter! I am so happy to be reading this to my son.

[Kelli Santistevan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just listened to this story on YouTube. I liked it. The illustrations are good and I like the story. It’s perfect for Fall.

[Ad Astra · Rating 4 out of 5]

You know, it's Mercer Mayer and fall. The illustrations have a lot more going on than at first look, so it's enjoyable to read multiple times with my daughter. She liked it okay.

[Dodie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a good read for kids to show them the different aspects of the fall.

[Lucca · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great read for my new reader. She was able to read the words easily. Cute fall fun book!

[Rebekah Guiliano · Rating 5 out of 5]

My seven year old and I read this together. Love this series, we were both entertained. A homeschool winner!

[Rick Christiansen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too easy. Plot is boring lol

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Found in School Starter Kit

[Brittany DeWolf]

This one was fun! My kiddo especially enjoyed hearing the word critter in a book as opposed to it coming out of his mom's mouth. It provoked many giggles from us!

[Jay Gabler · Rating 3 out of 5]

Why don’t any of the fall festivals I go to have a pumpkin trebuchet?

[Luisa Knight · Rating 3 out of 5]

A festive read for your beginning reader. And of course Mayer's Little Critter illustrations are so fun!

Reading Level: K - 2nd grades

Cleanliness: mentions briefly finding a pumpkin for Halloween.

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[Krehauna Dotzler]

The fourth nonfiction book I picked was Apples Make Juices and this book was also not on good reads. This book could be a 2nd-4th-grade book because it has a good amount of information about apples and fruits in it. This is a good read for kids to learn more about healthy fun foods.

I paired it with The Fall Festival, which is the one I posted on good reads. This book is a easy read for 1st-3rd graders that will get them about fall and apple picking. These books go great together because one is talking about apples and all they can make and the other book is about taking a trip to an apple-picking farm.

[Sara Kay]

Little Critter and his family go to the fall festival and have a great time. They pick apples, look for a Halloween pumpkin, and play a game of horseshoes. They get their dad to play the horseshoes and win them some stuffed animals. They then return home, Little Critter with a stomach ache from how many apples he ate.
I liked this book a lot and really enjoy the whole series. I think this would be a good book to use in the fall time and it also talks a lot about apples, so it would go well with a unit about apples, too.

[J9 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another Mercer Mayer book that all my kids enjoyed. My 5 yr old just adores Mayer and requests her books constantly. I read them at the breakfast or lunch table and even my 3 yr old twins get into them. We love trying to find the mouse and spider that seems to follow the main character around, they’re always doing silly things. Fun engaging themes that any child can relate to, a great addition to any children's library.

[Andrea · Rating 5 out of 5]

One thing I don't see enough of is fall themed books. I absolutely love fall and everything that happens during this season; the pumpkin patches, apple cider, fall leaves, falls crafts and even the smell in the air.

In this story Little Critter and his family go to a fall festival and partake in various festival activities including eating many apples. This is a fun story that makes me excited for fall even though I read it the first week of spring. Only six months away.

[Cherie Durbin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Little Critter and family head to the fall festival. They play games, pick apples and search for the perfect pumpkin. But, Little Critter gets carried away with sampling apples!

Children will love Mercer Mayer's vibrant illustrations. My own "Little Critter" loves to find Mouse and Spider on each page!

[Ms Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a simple story perfect for new readers. The fall festivaloffers lots of fun apple picking, hayrides, games and choosing your favorite pumpkin. Fall is so beautiful with all the different colors! We will go on an adventure with Little Critter and his family.
Your kiddos can follow along with me on my YouTube channel https://youtu.be/CRk8sj8_F1o.
Enjoy!!

[Judy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The kids love the pumpkin-throwing machine, and they want to play horseshoes. They thought that was a silly name for a game ... then I figured out that they didn't know that horses wore shoes and that their shoes look different from the ones we wear.

[Amanda · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nice, timely story for us. It will be a good learn-to-read in about a year.

[Tricia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fall as a season is described well in this first reader starring the adored critters of Critterville.