Feeling autumnal: These two books should put young readers in the mood for fall and its holidays

Feel that chill in the air? That’s a telltale sign that Halloween and Día de los Muertos are just around the corner.

Here are two books that should put young readers in the mood for the cool breezes of autumn and those special holidays.

One book is J.C. Cervantes’ latest novel, “The Daggers of Ire,” which is aimed at middle-grade readers.

Feeling autumnal: These two books should put young readers in the mood for fall and its holidays

There are no references to Halloween or Día de los Muertos in it, but the book is brimming with witches and magic.

Cervantes said the book’s story displays the power of magic that kids can possess that grown-ups don’t or can’t see.

Cervantes, a Las Cruces resident, creates her own mythology about witches in the book.

“When I write a children’s novel, I try to get into their imagination. So the book is filled with hope, creativity, qualities that grow before the world gets hold of you and squashes your dreams,” Cervantes said.

“Kids are so quick to believe in magic. That’s the mindset I get into. It’s a real pleasure to write for kids.”

The main characters in the book are Esmeralda and her best friend Tiago.

Esmeralda, nicknamed Esme, is born with Chaos magic in her veins. She and her family are descendants of one of the four original witches in their community of San Bosco.

When her mother dies, Esme becomes concerned about her father handling his grief.

Then, Esme finds a heart spell in a forbidden grimorio that she thinks could be the answer to heal her father. A grimorio, or grimoire, is a book with instructions for casting spells, making amulets and performing invocations.

However, before Esme can try the heart spell, she and her best friend Tiago discover their families — and all of San Bosco’s witches — have vanished along with their magic. The magic has kept the town alive.

Cervantes said that writing for young readers is, for her, more difficult than writing for adults.

“For kids you have to have a fast-paced story, a page-turner. So my imagination widens and blooms in a way” to develop ideas, she said.

“With adult readers, I pull back a little bit more. I guess I observe the story as a bystander. When I write for kids you can throw all the rules away. And it just feels like play.”

Cervantes’ previous book was “The Enchanted Hacienda,” a novel for adult readers that was published last spring.

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There’s a bilingual book — in Spanish and in English — that suggests for youngsters and their families how to celebrate Halloween and Día de los Muertos together.

The book is titled “Celebremos el Día de las Brujas y el Día de los Muertos!” Or in the English translation, “Let’s celebrate Halloween and the Day of the Dead!”

The picture book is suffused with warmth and good cheer. Its target audience is ages 5 to 9.

It’s not the least bit scary. In fact, it has a welcoming feel, with full-page color illustrations of smiling children in costumes and masks in school and home settings.

Through the voice of a girl name Camila, the text explains the easy-to-follow activities in the book.

On the first page, Camila and her best friend Mia are in a classroom in Halloween costumes. Camila is dressed as a frog and Mia as a monarch butterfly. The next pair of pages has Mia’s grandfather telling how the monarch butterfly’s delicate wings hold the souls of its ancestors, and they travel thousands of miles from the United States and Canada to arrive in Mexico in time for the Day of the Dead.

In the next few pages, Camila is visiting Mia’s home for a dinner of pork tamales, black beans and a dessert of rice pudding with cinnamon and raisins. After dinner, Camila helps Mia’s family to set up an altar for the Day of the Dead.

Camila says she’s frightened of the skulls on the altar. Mia calms her friend, telling her that the skulls are a way to remember and invite loved ones who have died.

That gives Camila an idea: Make an altar for her departed mom (Mami) even though her family is from Colombia, not Mexico. Camila and her dad prepare arepas, her mom’s favorite food, and agua panela.

Camila and her dad then share a meal with Mia and her mom. The book concludes with Camila telling readers, “In the United States, we celebrate two holidays — Halloween and the Day of the Dead. On those days, we honor the traditions of our new home as well as those of the countries that we carry in our hearts.”

The author is Argentine-born Gustavo Ruffino, who lives in Houston, Texas. The illustrator is Olga Barinova, who lives in Alberta, Canada.