23 of the BEST fall picture books for kids. Children and adults alike are sure to delight in this list of cozy, thoughtful, and entertaining autumnal picture books! Get your library card or your Amazon Cart ready, because you’re going to want to start reading as soon as possible!
Autumn is upon us friends and there is no better time to head to the bookstore or library to grab the best best fall picture books to read aloud with your children. With this in mind, I’ve complied a list of our very favorite fall books, the ones we read year after year after year. In fact, we’ve read the books on this list so many times that they seem to have become part of the season itself! We add them to our morning basket, read them under the falling leaves, whip up some hot tea and enjoy them as we snuggle on the sofa. For there’s no wrong way to read, after all, especially in the fall.
4 Things to Look for in the Best Fall Picture Books for Kids
1. Living Literature: The cornerstone requirement for the best fall picture books for kids
As always, look for a living book. The best picture books are enjoyed by parents as well as children. So, if everyone is bored and unengaged in the story and the pictures, don’t hesitate to close one book and open another. Living books make the world come alive, pull the reader in; they don’t talk down to children or cheapen themselves for laughs (though they can be hilarious!). They aren’t dull or preachy. Living picture books are the ones that stay with you, the ones you look forward to reading time and again. Not everyone will love every living book, but every book you read should be enjoyed by at least some in your family.
2. Beautiful Language
Picture books pack a punch when it comes to using sophisticated vocabulary in a way that is accessible to children. The pictures are perfect for giving context clues and when Momma reads the book aloud, inflection and interaction pair with those pictures to give children a good sense of what even the most unfamiliar of words means. Choose picture books with words that delight, words that deepen the experience of the story.
3. Wonderful Illustrations
Whether whimsical or realistic, choose picture books with interesting and charming illustrations, ones that you or your children want to linger over. In picture books about autumn, these illustrations will awaken your senses and cause you to leave the story noticing the beauty in your own world.
4. The COZY Factor of the best Autumn picture books for kids
Above all, fall picture books should give you that warm, hyggelig feeling deep in your bones. As an adult, they may bring nostalgic autumn memories to mind of jumping in leaf piles or making applesauce at Grandma’s house. I get positively giddy when we pull out these cozy books and although my children get a good chuckle at my expense, I know they love them, too!
So grab your favorite cup of something warm, get cozy, and let’s chat about the absolute BEST picture books to read with your family this Autumn. Tap the book image to shop!
23 of the Best Fall Picture Books For Kids
1. Night is Coming by W. Nikola-Lisa
This quiet, lyrical story positively sings of September! Restful and picturesque, this story of a child taking in the evening sights and sounds of autumn on the farm would be a wonderful bedtime story.
2. Fall Walk by Virginia Brimhall Snow
This lilting story paired with the incorporated hands-on activities is a great one to read out of doors. Beautiful and educational, Fall Walk would be wonderful to include in a unit study or in conjunction with a nature walk, as the illustrations will help you and your children identify the falling leaves and soak in the beauty of the season.
3. Apple Picking Time by Michele Benoit Slawson
A young girl rises early amidst the sights and sounds of September to join her parents as they all pick apples at the orchard. Will this be the year she fills her sack to the top? Happy family memories and a gentle sticktoitiveness, paired with words to awaken the senses to the beginning of fall make this the perfect story to read in the time “after the summer is spent, but before the Jack-o-lanterns are lit…”
4. How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World by Marjorie Priceman
While not overtly “funny,” the lengths this main character goes to on the quest to make an apple pie always put smiles on my kids’ faces. This creative and captivating look at the origins of the ingredients needed for an apple pie just might have you making a trip to the grocery store to whip one up yourself! So be ready to fill tummies as well as minds with goodness when you pull this one off the shelf.
5. The Apple Doll by Elisa Kleven
This story about a girl who turns a beautiful apple into a doll explores the themes of change, shyness, and creating something that lasts. This one comes complete with delightful collage illustrations and instructions to make your own apple doll. My girls especially love this one!
6. The Apple Cake by Nienke van Hichtum
An old woman sets off to the market with a basket of plums to trade for the ingredients she needs to make an apple cake. This is a timeless story of giving and sharing, and the perennial joys of kindness. A classic, cozy read for everyone!
7. Crow Not Crow
How do you tell one black bird from another? In Crow Not a father takes his daughter birding and teaches her just that. Children and adults alike will learn the power of observation. And you just might find you have a burgeoning birder in your own nest!
8. One Red Apple by Harriet Ziefert
This sweet and simple book follows the lifecycle of an apple. Children will enjoy the captivating folk art and joyful text that celebrate the possibilities of one tiny seed.
9. Yonder by Tony Johnston
This lyrical work of art is easily in my top three favorite picture books of all time! So, it definitely tops my list of the best fall picture books for kids. It captures the seasons of the year as well as seasons of life and generational fruitfulness so poignantly. It isn’t strictly an autumnal tale, but the warmth and sentimentality of it are well suited for the coziness of fall.
10. Autumn by Gerda Muller
A wordless, charming look at children going about daily life on picturesque autumn days in the countryside. The illustrations are so captivating that text would be simply superfluous!
11. Adopted by an Owl by Robbyn Smith van Frankenhuyzen
The true story of Jackson, a rehabilitated Great Horned Owl and the family he decides to call his own. This one is a great addition to a bird or owl unit study. But it is also great as a standalone read aloud that is sure to stay with young and old.
12. Ox Cart Man by Donald Hall
If Yonder by Tony Johnston sits in my top three favorite picture books of all time, then Ox Cart Man easily resides in my top 5! A New Englander and his family have spent the year working. Now it is time for the farmer to pack up the surplus goods in his cart and head to market so as to make provision for the year to come. This story lead to organic conversations about consumerism and the ease with which our family is clothed, housed, and fed. Barbara Cooney’s illustrations are a seasonal treasure. Not to be missed if you’re narrowing down your selection of the best fall picture books for kids
13. Yellow Time by Lauren Stringer
A beautiful ode to the most golden time of year, Yellow Time has a cadence and lilt that make it a joy to read aloud and illustrations that captivate even the youngest of children!
14. Hello Harvest Moon by Ralph Fletcher
Although there is one stanza touching on ancestral spiritualism, this poetic book is a feast for the senses from moonrise to moonset! The imagery and gorgeous illustrations take you by the hand and lead you into a night set aglow with the harvest moon.
15. The Scarecrow’s Dance by Jane Yolen
Filled with autumnal magic, this is the story of a scarecrow who decides to be footloose and fancy free, dancing with the wind. But when he hears a boy praying for the harvest, Scarecrow sees freedom in duty, in manning his post. The poetry and illustrations together create a lovely and compelling narrative.
16. The Pumpkin Runner by Marsha Diane Arnold
Humility shines in this unique autumn tale about a farmer who simply loves to run! Filled with memorable characters and details from Joshua running in gum boots, to Yellow Dog, to Aunt Millie’s pumpkin stew which serves as Joshua’s fuel. As a result, kids and parents alike will enjoy this story based on real life events!
17. Scarecrow by Cynthia Rylant
“It is no bad thing to celebrate a simple life.” This Tolkien quote is what first came to mind as I read this evocative, pleasantly melancholic story about a faithful scarecrow. Ever present in the moment, Scarecrow is grateful for all the simple joys life brings his way. The perfect read for those of us needing a reminder of the magic in the mundane.
18. The Roll-Away Pumpkin by Junia Wonders
Follow Marla as she chases after the large pumpkin that rolls away, down the road and through the village. This is a silly, delightful story with illustrations you’ll want to pore over!
19. Fox Went Out on a Chilly Night by Peter Spier
Peter Spier’s illustrations are sure to please in this story that is just good fun! Furthermore, you can learn the folk song by the same name and you and your children are sure to be singing the text for days!
20. Winter is Coming by Tony Johnston
Jim LaMarche’s illustrations bring this quiet text to life! This was a book I definitely judged by the cover and I’m so glad I did. Enjoy the sights and sounds as you follow along with a young girl who is a keen observer of the changes in the world around her in the late autumn. Have nature journals close at hand, as this story inspires you to take to the outdoors to sketch what you see!
21. In November by Cynthia Rylant
Rylant has a way of evoking such yearning and joy with her simply, lyrical language and this book is no different! Written in poetic prose, our senses are informed with how the season shapes what happens indoors and out as we smell the orangeness of food and get to know the sun as a “sometime friend.”
22. Sleep Tight Farm by Eugenie Doyle
We are welcomed onto a homestead where we see a family appreciatively prepare the farm for winter. As we are reminded of each season’s productivity, we now join in as the family puts the farm to bed, preparing for a time of rest. At this time, Sleep Tight Farm our family’s last read aloud of autumn. Afterward, all the Christmas picture books fill every nook and cranny of our home. Be sure to cozy up with warm blankets when you read and savor this one!
23. Miss Suzy by Miriam Young
When a group of mean red squirrels chase Miss Suzy out of her home in the oak tree, she escapes to a nearby attic where she makes friends with toy soldiers who come to her rescue. We absolutely love this story and the season is therefore not complete without it! This book goes to show that sometimes, home is the only place that truly feels like home.
Get your hands on the best autumn picture books for kids without breaking the bank
Are you inspired? I know I am! Even if the budget does not allow the purchase of the whole list at once, my recommendation is this: Put all of the best fall books for kids on hold from your library and bring those beauties home! Afterward, if there are any you or your children want to return to time and again, especially if you look forward to them year after year, give those books a permanent spot on your shelf!
Share your favorite autumn picture book in the comments!
Happy reading,
Jess
P.S. For more great books for kids and mommas, check out my other book lists here!