Step right up! Blue ribbons, daring rides, strutting animals, foods-on-a-stick--all this and more await at the annual reunion, the greatest of get-togethers, the state fair.

As summer winds down and kids prepare for the new school year, something unusual happens. People disappear from backyards and parks, funneling instead to a marvelous place. They arrive by bus and by bike, alone and in groups. There they mingle,

Tickets in hand, tickets bought at a stand, excitement growing and growing. The gates open up; crowds pass through. What's on the other side?

The answer? The state fair, of course! This seasonal celebration draws people of all kinds, young and old, rural and urban, competitors and spectators. And at a fair this big, this sprawling, this inviting, there truly is something for everyone.

Author Karlyn Coleman's straightforward descriptions and simple questions guide readers through the marvels of the fair--from tasty foods to adventurous rides, from animal antics to vegetable displays, from games of chance to marching bands. Illustrator Cori Doerrfeld captures the fun and chaos a busy day at the fair entails--and her playful, enticing scenes yield new delights with each closer look.

After a wonder-filled day of competing and exploring and people-watching, one question remains: What did you like best?