Our Favorite Fall Picture Books

Ah, fall. It’s my absolute favorite season. I love the cooler weather, cozy sweatshirts, beautiful foliage, nights spent around the fire pit roasting marshmallows, and pumpkin everything!

I love reading seasonal picture books with Claire. We’ve always enjoyed Christmas books, even when she was a baby. In more recent years, we absolutely love picture books for all seasons. I thought I would take some time today to share some of our favorite picture books to read in the fall. Some are ones we’ve read in years past, some are ones we’ve recently discovered, but we love them all!

Little Frog and the Scary Autumn Thing (Jane Yolen)

Change is hard. This is true of everyone, but it’s especially true of little ones, as they can’t always understand the reason for the change. When we first moved, Claire was experiencing a lot of fear, especially in social situations. This book is a sweet reminder that sometimes scary things aren’t really scary – they’re just new.

Ox-Cart Man (Donald Hall)

Anything that involves Barbara Cooney and I’m in! Her illustrations in this book are so lovely. Ox-Cart Man tells the story of a man and his family who work hard all year long. In the fall, the ox-cart man goes on a long journey to the city to sell the things they’ve worked on. This book sparked so much imaginative play in Claire. For days she pretended she was sewing things for her father to sell in the city.

Three Pebbles and a Song (Eileen Spinelli)

The Mouse Family is trying to get ready for winter. They’re hurrying to gather all that they will need. Before the first snowfall, all Moses can find to gather is three pebbles and a song. It seems he didn’t find anything of value to contribute, until the long, dark days of winter prove otherwise. This was a story Claire wanted to read over and over again!

Sophie’s Squash (Pat Zietlow Miller)

Sophie’s Squash is a sweet tale about a little girl who finds the perfect squash. She names the squash Bernice and takes her everywhere! But when Bernice starts to get blotchy and squishy, Sophie has to learn to how to let go. We loved this book. Claire wants to get it again every time we go to the library.

Creepy Carrots (Aaron Reynolds)

To be honest, we don’t really celebrate Halloween in our home. That’s why you won’t find a lot of scary/Halloween themed books on this list. However, this book is hilarious! We first read this book in the spring. It’s not specific to Halloween at all, but it would fit in well. There was a sequel (Creepy Pair of Underwear!), but I didn’t think it was as good as the original. I’m certain Claire would disagree, as anything even remotely related to potty humor is right up her alley.

How to Make An Apple Pie and See the World (Marjorie Priceman)

Out of all the fall books we have read, this one is my all time favorite. It starts out with a list of ingredients you will need to make an apple pie. The next step is to go to the store to purchase your ingredients. But what if the store is closed? This hilarious book takes you all around the world to find the highest quality ingredients for the best apple pie ever!

Frederick (Leo Lionni)

If you saw my last book review post, you know I absolutely love anything by Leo Lionni. In fact, I mentioned this book as one of my all time favorites. This is a perfect book for fall or winter. It’s the story of some mice who live in an old stone wall. As they gather food for the long winter, Frederick appears to just be sitting there. When asked, he says he is collecting colors, warmth and words. In the midst of winter, when the food is nearly gone, Frederick brings out his supplies. It’s one of the sweetest books and one we read quite often.

Four Friends in Autumn (Tomie dePaola)

I’ve saved Claire’s favorite for last! We all loved this funny tale of four friends, gathering for a dinner party. On the day we got it, Claire had me read it to her three times in a row. When Peter got home from work, she had him read it to her again. She laughs every time. We got this book from the library, but I have a feeling it’s one we will need to buy. Every time I talk about returning it, she begs me to renew it.

 

Interested in more fall book ideas? I highly recommend the Read Aloud Revival blog by Sarah Mackenzie. You can find some fall picture book lists here and here!