When Charleston native and Post and Courier columnist Fran Hawk discovered Mount Pleasant publisher Sylvan Dell, it was a match made in Lowcountry heaven. Now, just in time for fall, Sylvan Dell Publishing is set to release Hawk’s children’s picture book, Count Down to Fall.

 “I think this book is a must for young children because it introduces the concept that everything in nature—just as every person—has a name,” Hawk said. “When we know a person, we know his family name. The same is true for trees and other aspects of nature. This book makes it fun for parents and children to learn the names of leaves together. It provides a beginning knowledge on which to build more knowledge and also introduces counting and autumn.”

 In Hawk’s Count Down to Fall, the summer days get a little colder; the leaves turn from green to orange and red. Fall must be on the way, and while you unpack sweaters and scarves, the animals frolic outside in the crisp autumn air beneath a wide blue sky. The detailed illustrations by Sherry Neidigh capture the majesty of the maple, the oak, the linden, and more. Critters play in the time of changing seasons, and remind us that the changes of the earth affect us all—animals and humans alike.

 Hawk is no stranger to the literary world. Count Down to Fall is her third book release, following The Story of the H.L. Hunley and Queenie's Coin and Ten Tips for Raising Readers, in which she shares information about bringing children and books together. “My most favorite things are children, books, and writing,” Hawk said. “Writing children’s books is my dream come true, because it combines all three.”

 In celebration of her new release, Hawk will be featured at an upcoming event Sept. 1 at O’Quinn School in Mount Pleasant for a book launch celebration. For event details and a full listing of Hawk’s upcoming appearances, visit http://sylvandellpublishing.com/events.