Celebrate Autumn with These Fun & Festive Fall Books for Kids
Fall. For many people, it is the perfect season: a respite between the heat of summer and the chill of winter when nature puts on one of her most colorful shows. A time when children go back to school, and we can enjoy late summer crops, from giant pumpkins to tiny cranberries. Fall is also the time of two treasured holidays, Halloween and Thanksgiving. Happily, there are some wonderful children’s books that celebrate fall and give you the opportunity, whether or not you live where fall is a blaze where fall is a more subtle experience, to talk with your child about autumn delights.
Goodbye Summer, Hello Autumn AND Goodbye Autumn, Hello Winter by Kenard Pak
Kenard Pak is the author and illustrator of BOTH of these books. Books that, in words and pictures, describe how seasons change. This time of year is the perfect moment to share two of the stunning books in this series: Goodbye Summer, Hello Autumn and Goodbye Autumn, Hello Winter. In Goodbye Summer, Hello Autumn, a young girl takes a walk on a late summer morning, greeting trees, flowers, and animals as she strolls along, noticing how the natural world transforms during the last summer days. Halfway through the book, the signs of autumn’s arrival fill the pages. Weather gets stormy, leaves change colors, the days are shorter—it is time to say, “Goodbye, summer….” And then, “Hello, autumn.” Don’t stop Pak’s seasonal adventures quite yet! Instead, pick up the next book in the series: Goodbye Autumn, Hello Winter. Here, a boy and girl stroll together, observing the world in autumn as it inevitably transforms into winter. In both books, the simple but imagistic rhyming words perfectly evoke the seasonal worlds. It is the splendid watercolor illustrations, though, that make these two books so delightful. Every illustration is a treat, offering so much to discover as you visually take your own stroll through the pages. In fact, Pak has two more books about seasons, so jump in and read them all!
It's Fall! by Renée Kurilla
Renée Kurilla offers us delights of autumn sights, treats, and events in her beautifully illustrated rhyming picture book, It’s Fall. Kurilla begins by declaring that fall offers so much to celebrate, and then, page by page, proves this fact. Fall means back-to-school, flopping down on raked leaves, wagon rides, and picking apples for apple pies. Pumpkins, too, play a role, as they happily become jack-o-lanterns and, sure enough, lead us straight to trick-or-treat Halloween night. Thanksgiving comes next, offering a time to give thanks to family and enjoying scrumptious food. The book ends with a question: “What things do you love about fall?” which presents a perfect opportunity to talk with your child about the autumn season.
Thanking the Moon: Celebrating the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival by Grace Lin
In Grace Lin’s sweet story, a family celebrates the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival with an evening picnic. Ba-ba, the dad, sets up an honoring table for the feast. Jie-Jie, one of the daughters, strings up brilliantly glowing lanterns, and the narrator, another daughter, pours hot tea into cups. Ma prepares the food, which, best of all, includes sweet, soft, delicious mooncakes. The family then makes secret wishes after which they give thanks to the moon for this special time together. Every page of this lovely book is gloriously illustrated. The story is short and simple, with just one or two sentences on each page. Even so, words and illustrations offer a powerful description of a special holiday tradition celebrated by a loving family.
The Very Hungry Caterpillar's First Fall by Eric Carle
In The Very Hungry Caterpillar's First Fall, Eric Carle offers a poetic salute to the natural beauty of autumn. Each page is filled with Carle’s vivid, dynamic, and fanciful art that perfectly brings the beauty of fall to life. But what about the Hungry Caterpillar? Not a word about him is mentioned in the text. Hmmmmm…. Is he really missing? Not at all. Although the world-famous caterpillar is not referred to in words, not even once, he appears on every page. Look carefully, and you can spot him traveling through the book as Carle describes the splendors of fall in words and pictures.
Pattan's Pumpkin: An Indian Flood Story by Chitra Soundar (Author), Frane Lessac (Illustrator)
What can you do with a pumpkin? Pumpkins make perfect jack-o’ lanterns, delicious pies, and scrumptious pumpkin bread, of course. But can a humungous pumpkin provide a rescue boat for Pattan, his wife, Kami, along with all the animals, birds, beetles, and bugs living on his farm when a flood is about to overwhelm the land? Indeed, it can, and does, in this twist on the story of Noah’s Ark, based on a traditional folk tale from Southern India. The book is beautifully illustrated with so much detail that you’ll want to linger on each page. This is sure to be a book you’ll enjoy reading over and over again.
The Leaf Thief by Alice Hemming (Author), Nicola Slater (Illustrator)
Squirrel wakes up one bright autumn morning and discovers that, OH NO, one of his beautiful leaves has been …… stolen! It is not in the tree with the other red, gold, and orange leaves! Who could have stolen it? Who is the thief? Bird tries to explain that it is perfectly normal for trees to lose leaves this time of year, and, at first, Squirrel feels better, but the next day another leaf is missing! It takes a while and a bit of patience, but finally Bird explains that the thief is…. none other than…. the wind. Squirrel finally understands. The next morning, however, Squirrel gets another shock – which I will not spoil for you! It will, though, certainly give you and your child belly laughs. One of the charms of this charming book is the fact that the child understands more than the Squirrel. It is a very satisfying experience to be the expert who might well call out to Squirrel, “It’s just fall when the leaves FALL!” The colorful illustrations and the mix of fonts, the use of capital letters, and especially the use of speech bubbles add to the fun of this fun-filled book.
Amara's Farm by JaNay Brown-Wood (Author), Samara Hardy (Illustrator)
Amara lives on a flourishing farm with a wide and wonderful variety of crops. When the book begins, she is in search of a pumpkin. She knows what a pumpkin is like – “it grows on a stem. It has a hard stem on the top. And its mostly hallow center has…orange pulp, squishy innards, and many seeds.” The reader is tasked with helping Amara find the pumpkins on her farm. We discover crop after crop, and each one has some pumpkin qualities but is not what we seek, until, finally, there it is -- a pumpkin! Now Amara uses all her beautiful produce to make a fabulous feast, and we are challenged to identify each fruit and vegetable on her table. The story is simple, and yet it introduces children to a wide variety of produce, and in a simple way, teaching what each one looks like and how it grows. The lively, vivid, and accurate illustrations enhance this sweet trip to Amara’s farm.
Strictly No Elephants by Lisa Mantchev (Author), Taeeun Yoo (Illustrator)
A little boy has a special pet: an elephant. This turns out to be a problem on Pet Club Day. Why? The pet club does not allow …. elephants. The dejected boy soon discovers a girl who also has a rejected pet: a skunk (but it doesn’t smell)! Soon the street is full of an amazing array of unusual pets: a giraffe, a bat, an armadillo, to name just three. The new crew of kids with their amazing pets find a treehouse and make their own pet club where “ALL ARE WELCOME!” Yes, it is a lovely story, with a meaningful message, and wonderfully illustrated. But what, you might ask, does it have to do with fall? Although the season is never mentioned directly, it is when the story takes place, as validated by the colorful leaves on the trees, the scarfs some children (and the elephant) wear, and a few kids wearing sweatshirts. The book offers the opportunity to look at the illustrations and notice all the fall indicators the artist includes, which, in turn, can be a jumping-off point for talking about the change in season from summer to autumn.
Fallon Favors Fall by Tiffany Obeng (Author), Tharushi Fernando (Illustrator)
Short, simple, and thoroughly lively, this book is perfect for children just discovering the fabulous fun offered in fall, as well as children who already know and love the season’s delights. Fallon’s joy, communicated in text and pictures, is absolutely contagious! This book is a delight.
Thank Fall: A Mindful Story Celebrating the Magic of Autumn! by Ciara L Hill (Author), Agia Putri (Illustrator)
Levi loves fall so much, he decides to create a magical potion that will capture the glory of the season. He begins by adding leaves and acorns, the chirp of birds, and the wind’s whistle. Page by page, he finds more treasures to add to his potion: the sweet smell of cooling pies, the delight of playing with friends, the love of spending special times with family. He adds happiness, and yummy food, and the feeling of togetherness. Finally, his potion is complete: full of the sights, sounds, tastes, and joy that come with fall. When you finish this book, why not talk about all the aspects of fall, and life, that bring joy to you and your child? Maybe you can decorate a special box and fill it with pictures of your ideas. Every time you and your child hold the box, it will remind you of the many ways happiness comes into your lives.
We're Going on a Leaf Hunt by Steve Metzger (Author), Miki Sakamoto (Illustrator)
We’re Going on a Leaf Hunt is a sing-song treat. Three children travel up a mountain, through a forest, around a waterfall, and across a lake gathering colorful leaves from all sorts of trees. The story is rich in onomatopoeia words that are just plain fun for children: huff, puff, squish, squash, swooshing, splish, splash, plip, plop, slip, slide. Towards the end, there is a surprise for the leaf-gatherers and readers. This is a wonderful book to share with children, who, before the first reading is done, will perhaps be chanting along, voicing the repeated words with you.
