Living in upstate New York, autumn is the most breathtaking season. Looking at the tree outside my front door, each leaf is multicolored! It is truly spectacular. The temperature is crisp and perfect for trips to the playground!
Here are some great books to get you (and your kids) in the fall frame of mind!
*This page contains affiliate links. If you choose to purchase after clicking a link, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you
Lois Ehlert Classics
I love Lois Ehlert’s books! Ehlert is known for her colorful illustrations, incorporating multiple forms of media, including fabric, leaves, or buttons. You may be familiar with Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, which she illustrated. Leaf Man and Red Leaf, Yellow Leaf are two autumnal-themed classics that are treasures to behold.
Published by Harcourt
Age 3+
Leaf Man is the story of a group of leaves that “go where the wind blows.”
In the book, the leaves travel east, over the fields, above the orchard, forming shapes akin to what is around them (such as a turkey). Ehlert uses leaves to create these shapes and tell the story. One fun feature of the book is the die-cut shape of the pages that illustrate the setting, i.e., soft curves of the marsh and sharp angles of the orchard; like looking at the sky and seeing shapes, Ehlert crafts the leaves into different animals. The endpapers are noteworthy as they offer a visual guide for identifying leaves you might find in your neighborhood.
A fun way to help kids connect with this book is to take a nature walk and collect exciting leaves. Afterward, have fun arranging the leaves for different animals. Once the animals are in place, glue them to bright-colored construction paper to preserve the masterpiece!
Tags: Trees, leaves, shapes, collages, die cut, autumn, farm, prepositions, land types
Red Leaf, Yellow Leaf by Lois Ehlert
Published by HMH Books for Young Readers
Ages 3+
Lois Ehlert incorporates watercolor, wire, and seeds to create a vibrant book showing readers how seedlings grow into beautiful maple trees. The book is told in the voice of a young child and expresses their love and connection to the tree, reminiscent of Shel Silverstein’s The Giving Tree.
The pictures and writing show how the child shows love toward the tree (peeking out before bed every night and sharing treats with the birds). In addition, readers will learn how trees change over a year. The end of the book includes a glossary about parts of the tree and gives information about how to plant a tree of one’s own.
Tags: Fall, Spring, Trees, Earth Day, Parts of a Tree, Planting, Seasons
Summer Green to Autumn Gold: Uncovering Leaves Hidden Colors
Written by Mia Posada
Published by Millbrook Press ™
Ages 5+
Have you ever wondered why leaves change colors? Or why are the leaves on some trees different colors than the leaves on other trees? Mia Posada’s Summer Green to Autumn Gold is a beautiful nonfiction picture book that explains the scientific process of how the luscious green summer leaves transform into a vibrant rainbow of autumn colors.
Readers will gravitate toward the colorful watercolor and paper collage illustrations. Posada also explains why some trees, such as evergreen, do not change colors. In addition, the book includes excellent examples of nonfiction text features, such as captions, a glossary, and resources for hands-on experiments.
The book provides an age-appropriate, in-depth explanation of the cellular transformations that occur within a leaf during its life cycles.
Leaf Jumpers
Written by Carole Gerber and Illustrated by Leslie Evans
Published by Charlesbridge
Age 3+
When my daughter was younger, her favorite thing to do was make leaf piles. We would visit playgrounds, and instead of going on the slide or swings, she found pleasure in picking up the leaves and putting them in a pile. Why? So she could jump in, of course!
Leaf Jumpers captures this fun tradition in its short and sweet poetic text. This book is fun for an ordinary read-aloud OR invite the kids to act out leaves shaking in the wind, “flutter through the air,” or pretend to rake. Leaf Jumpers is a fun book to inspire interpretive dance and get kids moving during storytime.
Fun extension activity: In the book, illustrations identify what tree typical leaves found in North America belong to. With a grown-up, go for a walk around your neighborhood and find intact leaves. Try and determine what type of tree they came from by comparing the leaf with the illustration in the book.
Tags: Movement, Leaves, Poem
Scarecrow
Written by Beth Ferry and Illustrated by Eric Fan & Terry Fan
Published by HarperCollins
Ages 4+
The book Scarecrow is a rhythmic tale of the unlikely friendship between Scarecrow and a lost baby crow. Scarecrow works all year tirelessly, weathering the seasons, never faltering in his commitment to protecting the crops. Ferry’s Scarecrow makes a beautiful read-aloud and will draw readers to the charming colored pencil detailed illustrations. The fable-like tale exemplifies the core values of loyalty and the value of being a good friend.
Tags: Friendship, animals, birds, seasons, loyalty, Rhyme
Fletcher and the Falling Leaves
Written by Julia Rawlinson and Illustrated by Tiphanie Beeke
Published by Greenwillow Books
Ages 3+
In the book Fletcher and the Falling Leaves, Fletcher, a fox, is concerned when his favorite tree starts to lose leaves. He discovers change comes with beauty. Rawlinson’s writing sprinkles adjectives throughout the book. Fletcher and the Falling Leaves would be a terrific mentor text for teaching adjectives.
With the start of school, there are many changes, summer turns into autumn, and days become shorter and more structured. Ask the child what changes they may be experiencing and how they are feeling, and discuss how we can make the transition easier.
Tags: Change, Seasons, Leaves, Resilience, Transitions
Frederick
by Leo Lionni
Published by Dragonfly Books
Ages 4+
Frederick is a Caldecott Honor-winning book, an annual award for outstanding picture book illustrations by the American Library Association. It was written and illustrated by Leo Lionni. Frederick was first published in 1967 and has been a beloved classic.
It is summer, and Frederick and his family of field mice live inside a stone wall and must prepare for winter. As the rest of Frederick’s family gathers straw, wheat, and nuts for the forthcoming season, Frederick spends his time collecting sun rays and colors for the bleak winter days.
Is Frederick pulling his share? Will stockpiling such intangible items prove as practical and shareable as food? Read the book and find out! Lionni’s gorgeous collage illustrations are a treat for the eyes.
Tags: Mindfulness, Preparation, Seasons, Mice, Community Helper, Family,
Happy Reading!
Xo, Sheryl
I love apple picking! As soon as October rolls around, I am checking out the websites of my favorite orchards to find out when my favorite breed of apple is ready for harvest. The crisp cool air, sweet smell of apples, and culinary ideas swirling through my mind. The beginning of fall. I am so grateful to live in Upstate New York, where there are orchards twenty minutes in every direction from my home. Here are some books to get you into the apple mindset.
*This page contains affiliate links. If you choose to purchase after clicking a link, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.
Apples by Gail Gibbons
Ages 3+
Gail Gibbons writes excellent nonfiction books for early readers, and now she has started writing board books for our youngest readers. This is a perfect introduction to the annual cycle of the apple tree. The board book is an excellent preschool book about apples.
If reading with older children, check out the unabridged version of Gail Gibbon’s Apples. This edition contains information about the history of apples, how to plant and care for an apple tree, and more.
Tags: Apples, lifecycle, pie, farming,
Ten Apples Up On Top by Theo LeSieg
Ages 2+
Lion, tiger, and dog try to see how many apples they can balance on top of their head while they do their daily fun. Will they let the apples fall? This is a fun counting book with Seussical charm. This book is silly and leaves you in suspense at the end of each page. Will they let the apples drop?
Every apple season, I have fun reading this book with my daughters after we go apple picking. I started taking annual pictures, measuring them in apples. This is a fun extension activity to the book, as it involves counting, measuring, and comparing previous measurements. Apples are not the most accurate measuring tool as each varies in size (my oldest remained the same amount of “apples tall” from one year to the next).
Fun fact: Theo LeSieg is one pseudonym of Theodore Giesel, better known as Dr. Seuss. LeSieg is Giesel spelled backward. Seuss was Mr. Giesel’s middle name. Giesel never earned a medical license or doctorate; he “adopted” that title to please his father, who always wanted him to become a doctor.
Tags: Apples, Animals, Counting
Apples for Everyone Written by Jill Esbaum
Ages 3+
Apples for Everyone is a beautiful informational text that introduces readers to all things apples, including the annual tree cycle, types of apples, Johnny Appleseed, and more.
The National Geographic photographs provide vivid visuals detailing how apples develop and how they are present in our lives. The language in the book is simple and accessible for younger readers.
Tags: Informational text, apples, Johnny Appleseed, Trees, Farms, Orchards
Ten Red Apples by Pat Hutchins
Ages 3+
The farmer watches the number of apples on his tree as the animals help themselves to a tasty treat. Will the farmer get a chance to try a yummy apple? Kids will have fun with the animal sounds and predictable, repetitive language. Reading tip: While reading, point to the words as you read it, and invite your companion to make appropriate animal sounds and together say “yippee, fiddle-dee-fee!’ Pointing to the terms while reading, them building phonetical awareness of the sound they hear and the letter they see on the page.
Ten Red Apples is a sweet introduction to the concept of subtraction. Find ten apples or colorful pom poms to make a real-world connection with this book. Together, chant “ten apples hanging on the tree, yippee fiddle fee” __________(name of child) “came and ate one. Save some for me!”
Johnny Appleseed written by Jodie Shepherd Illustrated by Masumi Furukawa
Ages 3+
An uplifting folktale of Johnny Chapman, better known as Johnny Appleseed. Johnny Appleseed by Jodie Shepherd highlights the life story of Johnny Appleseed. From early childhood and throughout his life, Johnny Appleseed planted thousands of apple trees to help people grow food during westward expansion.
I love how this book shows how Johnny Appleseed relates to contemporary children, playing with his siblings, enjoying the outdoors, reading under a tree, or helping a hurt animal. Readers can identify with Johnny and may realize that they, too, can contribute to the world through small acts of kindness.
Tags: Helper, Apples, Tree, Planting, Kindness, folktale Westward exapansion
Happy reading!
Xo,
Sheryl