BIG RAPIDS -- The fall season is good for a lot of things -- warm clothes, color tours, apple cider -- and for one Big Rapids native, it also serves as the perfect inspiration for a fall-themed children's book.
Jennifer Burns grew up in Big Rapids and recently authored a children's book, Autumn Song, centered around fall themes and is illustrated by Katherine Messenger. The book's publication through Warren Publishing has been a work in progress 15 years in the making for Burns, who first wrote it in 2006.
Burns works as an assistant professor of history at the University of Virginia but wrote Autumn Song as a dedication to capturing many of her favorite things about the season for herself and her children. She currently resides with her family in North Carolina.
Burns said the book is largely inspired by her time growing up in Bowling Green, Ohio, and in Big Rapids, with a bit of the South sprinkled in, and that she wanted to highlight diversity as much as possible.
"I have a somewhat odd obsession with fall, and in writing Autumn Song I wanted to create a book about enjoying all of the fall experiences for young kids," Burns said. "Big Rapids was not very diverse, outside of Ferris State University, when I was growing up, but I wanted the book to represent everyone as much as possible. There is visible diversity of race and gender, but we also included differing abilities like a woman in a wheelchair, the girl in the cat costume has a hearing aid which is hard to see, the 'crisp, frosty air' girl has a prosthetic leg, and I had someone with autism in mind for one picture.
"In the book, you'll notice the Bulldog as the parade mascot, which is a nod to Ferris," she added. "The BBQ page is a nod to both the Wood County and the Mecosta County fairs. The 'Lazy Sundays' page is similar to the den in my house in Big Rapids. 'Rustling trees, falling leaves' is associated with a very specific walk home following a Saturday high school football game. The 'S'mores' page is related to my 16th birthday party, which was a hayride and bonfire.
"Basically, there are deeper stories behind every page, even if it isn't drawn or written out exactly like the experience, that nearly all tie back to my childhood and teen years."
Burns explained that the fall season is her favorite because it's a season of new beginnings and the excitement of school being back in session.
"I grew up surrounded by teachers, and am now married to one, and there was always an energy and excitement ahead of the new school year," Burns said. "I loved school and back-to-school shopping, and couldn't wait for summer to end so I could see my friends more regularly, participate in activities, and learn something new.
"I also see fall as a season for letting go, and rather than spring cleaning, I typically get an urge to purge in the fall. I liken this to the trees letting go of their leaves in preparation for something new."
Burns was partially inspired by specific passages referencing fall in Blake Crouch's book Dark Matter. Taking inspiration from the vivid prose Crouch used, she took it and allowed herself to be transported back to her childhood memories during fall which ultimately led to her wish of getting her book published.
Autumn Song also highlights the five senses throughout its pages, utilizing each in a different manner to illicit the sensory and auditory elements of the season and the book's characters.
Burns said she initially didn't intend to make the five senses a pivotal part of the boo, but that it happened naturally in putting the book together in the way she imagined it.
"I don't remember consciously setting it up that way at first, it was more of a list of some of my favorite things about fall," Burns said. "But, as I was trying to assemble it into something sensical, I realized that everything I listed was associated with a smell or touch. I thought that aligning the words and images this way may help children relate to it as a story a bit more and also unconsciously learn about the senses.
"Then it was a matter of determining where things fit best," she added. "I remember going back on forth on whether the pumpkin seeds should be salty for taste, or slippery for touch, but they ended up going under taste because I had too many other things I wanted to include under touch."
'IT REALLY WAS IDYLLIC'
For Burns, the memories she made growing up in Big Rapids helped spark the inspiration for the book, but also allowed her to reflect on her childhood memories in town and enjoy a bit of reminiscing.
"I walked to school from fifth through 12th grade, and that's where many of my fall memories were made," Burns said. "Actually, I walked nearly everywhere in Big Rapids, to school, football games, the library, the movies, the arcade.
"Homecoming was always an especially fun time with building floats, looking for the Spirit Tire, decorating the halls, participating in the bonfire, cheering in the parade and football game, and going to the dances. I enjoyed going to various lakes, roller and ice skating, participating in summer musicals, and staying up late with friends
"There was still the typical adolescent drama and angst, but it really was idyllic in many ways," she added. "I'm so grateful to have grown up in Big Rapids. I know many agree that we were extremely lucky to have had the right balance of freedom combined with community oversight that you can only get in a 1980's small town."
For readers of the book, Burns hopes her work will inspire kids and families to go out and make memories during the fall season, and all the time in general.
"Even though I wrote it so many years ago, one reason I decided to send it out to publishers was because the last 20 months have been a time of searching for purpose and meaning," Burns said. "My hope is that it will help children make memories and that it will evoke memories in adults. I hope parents and teachers will read it with their children and students and talk about the beautiful illustrations in relation to their own fall experiences.
"I'm also hoping it will inspire a love of reading," she added. "I'm a voracious reader and my favorite time of the day when our girls were young was reading to them before bed. Katherine Messenger, the incredible illustrator, came up with the wonderful idea of the kids taking a break from apple picking to read under the tree on the cover.
"My favorite page in the book is probably 'Lazy Sundays, curled up with a book.' My family loves rainy fall Sundays and just spending quiet time together at home. It's so special to have that quiet downtime together too in the midst of our busy lives."
Autumn Song is currently available for pre-order from Warren Publishing and Barnes & Noble Books.
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Big Rapids native pens children's book about fall - The Pioneer
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