My picture book, On No, Woolly Bear is an autumn story. Let’s see if I can come up with another one. How about one from real life? 
NUTS!
“I’d better get the recyles cleared out,” Daddy said. “I can’t believe it’s October already. Pretty soon, it’ll be cold enough to freeze an ogre’s toes!”
“Can I go with you?” Heather asked.
“Of course. I could use your help.”
Heather and Daddy carried stacks of newpapers and magazines and boxes of cans, jars and plastic containers from the garage to the truck.
“”There!” Daddy said as they shoved the last box in and closed the tail gate. “Now I can park in the garage when it snows.” Heather knew that by spring the stack of recycles would be so big that Daddy would have to start parking in the driveway again. The recycle place was a hundred miles away, so they only made the trip once a year.
“It’s a good idea to give the truck a workout before winter hits,” Daddy commented. “We sure didn’t use it much this summer, did we?”
“No,” Heather agreed sadly. Usually the family went camping nearly every week in the summer. This year, however, they’d only gone a couple of times in June. The truck had sat for months under the English walnut tree, looking as forlorn as Heather felt. Heather sighed as she climbed into the cab and buckled her seat belt. Maybe next summer Mommy and Daddy wouldn’t have to work so many weekends.
Daddy turned the key. “R-r-r-r. R-r-r-r.” The engine refused to turn over.
“Dang it!” Daddy popped the latch, got out, and lifted the latch. “What on earth . . .?” He exclaimed. He started to laugh. “Heather, get the camera!”
“Why?” Heather hopped out of the truck and ran around front, standing on tiptoe to see into the engine. “Oh, my goodness!”
The entire engine was full of walnuts! Nuts had been crammed into ever nook and cranny. Heather ran inside and got both the camera and Mommy.
After taking several pictures, they all began throwing the nuts out of the engine. “Ch-r-r-k-k-k!” Heather looked up. A squirrel was sitting on a branch of the walnut tree. It chattered and scolded, jumping from branch to branch.
“Daddy, we’re ruining the squirrel’s winter nut supply!” Heather said.
“Well, he can’t keep his nuts in the truck,” Daddy pointed out.
“But it seems such a shame to spoil all his hard work.” Heather thought of something she’d seen in the garage as they were clearing it out. “I know! Don’t throw any more nuts out.” Heather ran to the garage and grabbed the big box that Daddy’s computer came in. There were holes cut in the side for handles. “Let’s put the nuts in this,” she said, dragging it out to her parents.
“Good idea,” agreed Mommy.
When all the nuts were cleaned out, the truck started right up.
As they pulled away from the curb, Heather grinned as she watched the squirrel scamper down the tree and squeeze through one of the hand holes and into the box under the lilac bush with “Nuts ! Do Not Move Until Spring!” written in black letters on the side.
