Fall Reads For Families
It’s no great surprise that I love fall. Our southern summers make me stir-crazy, heat-weary, and cranky. But when the first hints of fall arrive, I come alive again! This year, I decided to celebrate the first cool mornings and fall breezes by gathering a cornucopia of fallish books to read aloud. Just in case you want to celebrate autumn as a family, here is my honest take on these colorful family reads. Note: I haven’t provided a somewhat arbitrary, 5 point rating for each book just in case you don’t want to read my review. Take it with a grain of salt. Also, several of these books do include talk of Halloween if that is something your family avoids, feel free to ask which ones and I can fill you in. But be sure to read all the way through to find out which one was my favorite!
If you have a child who is a bit reluctant about heading back to school, this might be a good read for you. The rhyme and meter can be a little bit clunky at times (example: rhyming “climb” and “whine"), but overall this is a colorful book that spreads a contagious excitement for learning. Best of all, the illustrations are colorful and engaging. (Note: If you’re sensitive about certain words, the second to the last page includes “Maybe you are not so dumb, for my baby sister.” I personally will change the word “dumb” when I read it aloud to my kids.)
Dappled Apples by Jan Carr, Illustrated by Dorothy Donohue - 4/5
I’m a sucker for creative illustrations and these collage-style paper images are so fun. They may even inspire you and your kids to try your hand at paper art. This simple, bouncy read is great for younger kids while still introducing new vocabulary words (I love it when authors do this so deftly): “avalanches,” “dappled,” “goop,” “masquerading.”
Leaf Man by Lois Ehrlert - 4/5
You might recognize Lois Elhrlert’s name from her many amazing illustration projects. Perhaps the most well known (and a favorite for my kids) is Chicka Chicka Boom Boom. This simple book is about a man made of leaves who blows away. The reader has no idea where he went but is captivated as he/she looks by the many pieces of hidden leaf art throughout. Though the language is very simple, my 6 and 4 year old both LOVED the art and we are planning on making some leaf art ourselves! The only reason for the 4 out of 5 rating is that the language itself felt a bit awkward at times.
Can you spot the creature in the leaves?
This one has been the favorite so far. Maybe it is the character of the paranoid squirrel paired with the bright and fun illustrations. Regardless, my boys loved that they knew better than the silly protagonist. This poor squirrel has some major anxiety when the beautiful fall leaves begin to go missing, while his friendly neighbor tries to patiently reassure him that no one is stealing the leaves.
This book contains great information that will be sure to engage kids of all ages. The first page spread asks “What kinds of leaves do you see in the summer?” and contains illustrations of more than a dozen leaves and their tree species so that young scientists might be able to identify the ones they have seen. With lovely, short prose, the author delves into why leaves are green, explaining “chlorophyll” so that even the youngest reader won’t be lost. Then the author explains how trees know that it is fall and where the beautiful fall colors come from. I’m not ashamed to admit that I learned something myself that I had long forgotten! The end of the book contains a glossary and links to some leaf experiments. This is one I’d like to add to our permanent collection.
There are more books in the Little Elliot series, about an elephant and his friend, Mouse, who live in the “big city.” This particular book is about the friends deciding they need a trip out to the country. There’s a little bit of cliche about the city being busy and dirty and the country being clean and beautiful, but that’s not really surprising. The two friends collect apples, play in the leaves, play a game of hide and seek, and for a little while Elliot can’t find his friend Mouse. In the end Elliot follows his nose and discovers that Mouse has baked him an apple pie and they share a feast with new farm animal friends.
Michael Hall’s simple, colorful illustrations actually remind me quite a bit of Lois Ehrlert or even Eric Carl. I really enjoy the way this book is constructed. Each page is a kind of simple, free verse poem with very few words on the page and lots of onomatopoeias (one of my favorite words, sorry). I think the titles can be a little confusing. For example, the third spread reads:
Plentifall
Apples,
apples
ready to munch.
Yellow,
red,
green —
crunch,
crunch!
“Plentifall” isn’t a word, of course, but each day plays upon a combination of “fall” with another word. Some of these examples of wordplay work better than others, but on the whole it’s a delightful read and the ending of the book contains some great info about how various animals prepare for winter (which my young scientist will love).
Autumn: An Alphabet Acrostic by Steven Schnur. Illustrated by Leslie Evans - 5/5
I just found out this is part of a series and there is a book for each season. This would be a fun way to introduce the idea of an acrostic and practice making fun fall acrostic with kids! For example, this is the PUMPKIN acrostic:
Piled
Up in the
Market square, baskets of
Pears, bushels of apples,
Kegs of cider, and an orange mountain
In
November’s cold.
This would be a little bit of a longer read, but full of fun details about the autumn. Also, I learned something! I definitely did not know what Xylem was and had to look it up (Can you tell I am not a scientist?)
Don Freeman is the author of the children’s classic, Corduroy. Fun fact: Roy Freeman is Don Freeman’s son. This lovely little book is set in Washington D.C. Whether a child is familiar with our nation’s capital or not, it makes for a fun setting. Not only does this book have an adorable squirrel protagonist, but we also find out that he is a father taking care of his family by providing them with acorns. The story itself isn’t one of my all-time favorites, but it’s a cute little adventure of a squirrel trying to find the special acorn he hid on a crowded day in the city.
This little book is a clear winner as far as I’m concerned. In this sweet and simple tale, the tree itself is the protagonist. When fall comes and the other little trees lose their leaves, the little tree is too anxious and will not let go of his leaves. Over time the other trees get new leaves and flourish and grow, but the little tree stays the same, still hanging onto his old leaves. Of course, that’s not the end of the story. This lovely book is about change, letting go, and being brave. Go get it right now!
Applesauce Season by Eden Ross Lipson. Illustrated by Mordicai Gerstein - 5/5
This apple-filled book is set in the city rather than the country. The protagonist goes to the farmer’s market with his grandma in the fall to get apples for making applesauce. I love that it introduces the many different kinds of apples, most of which I have never heard of: “Ida Red and Paula Red, Twenty Ounce and Macintosh, Ginger Gold and Jonagold.” I also appreciate that it shows multiple generations working together to make the applesauce. Who knows, we may get brave and try to make our own applesauce this year inspired by this fun read! Guess what? There’s an applesauce recipe at the end of the book!
The Fantastic Gifts of Fall by Dandi Daley Mackall. Illustrated by Katherine Blackmore - 5/5
This book was a pleasant surprise. The rhyme and meter are steady and make this easy to read, and each little verse ends with the phrase “Thank you, God, for autumn” so that kids can chime in and participate. If you wish, you can also read aloud the Bible verse that is included with each page. For example:
Thanks for family, old and new.
Thanks for food and blessings too.
All good things come straight from You!
Thank You, God, for autumn.”
He did what is good by giving you rain from heaven and fruitful seasons and satisfying your hearts with food and happiness. Acts 14:17
There are also discussion questions and activity ideas at the end of the book, which give this book an optional interactive component.
A Fall Ball For All by Jamie A. Swenson. Illustrated by Chiara Fedele 4/5
This adorable book is seemingly inspired by the word “windfall” which the final page of the book defines as “1: fruit or other crops blown down by the wind, 2: an unexpected gift or good fortune.” Set in the Northwoods of Wisconsin (from the author’s note), this rhyming picture book is about the Windfall Ball — a time of abundance when the wind blows down fruits and nuts and berries for all of the wild animals of the forest to enjoy. “Cranberries, chestnuts, corn and plums, Sunflowers, daisies, chrysanthemums,” are just some of the abundance enjoyed by the many creatures in this lovely little book. In the end, the creatures say thanks to the wind for the feast and then settle down for a winter’s rest.
These are just some of our fall picture book discoveries. What are your favorites?
Please note: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. But please feel free to hunt down these books wherever you please.
Also, if you want to know about the candle featured in some of the images, you can find it here. It’s one of our favorites.