Scarecrows are taking their turn in a bonanza of fall picture books that aren't Halloween stories. In this scarecrow tale, Sarah is puzzled when her grandparents begin dressing their annual scarecrows in a faded blue ball gown and an evening coat and top hat instead of ragged old clothes. Her grandparents explain that many years before, as people in the farming community were wearing their fanciest clothes for an outdoor dance, a swarm of birds swooped down and began tearing into the crops in the fields. It was people with 'black coats flapping' and 'colorful dresses billowing' that frightened the birds away. As Grandma and Grandpa finish dressing the lady and gentleman scarecrows, they tell Sarah that sometimes people think they see the scarecrows dancing. The paintings fill each page with washes of color, matching the graceful story and showing the people with a softly realistic glow."