Things to Read Thursday - Children's Books For Fall

Ages 2.5-7 (Approximately). The books closest to the top are best for younger children, whereas the books closest to the bottom are best for older children


My children used to love love this board book when they were younger. The author uses a lot of sound repetition ("plumply, dumply pumkin" and "lumpy, bumpy ... not stumpy, grumpy") which can be fun as kids as kids increase their vocabulary. Plus, the book serves as a nice introduction to one of the fundamentals of halloween and autumn - turning a pumpkin into a jack-o-lantern.


This isn't exactly an "autumn" book but monsters appear on every page, making it fun for halloween. The book is short, without much of a story, just a lot of pop-up-monsters, but my kids like to play with the pop-ups. We bought it when P was 2.5 and she wouldn't stop opening and closing the pages.


This is a very sweet little book about a tree that can't get its fall colors right. Due to its short length, this book may be best for younger kids (under the age of 4); F doesn't like to read it because calls it a "baby book," despite the non-board book format.


When the girls were 3 and 4 we read this book ALL the time. While not explicitly a "fall" book, I'm recommending it due to the fact that it deals with the changing season. In particular, it chronicles the experiences of one cat, Green Eyes, during her first year of life.


Last year the girls kept asking questions about fall and the seasons, so I researched several books dealing with the topic. Linda Glaser's It's Fall was one of the most recommended. Unfortunately, my kids never really liked this book. The illustrated child is a little odd looking (he's sort of cartoonish and sort of realistic - see the top picture above) so maybe that's why. But every time I read it to them, F says "let's put it away and find another book."


This is another book that came highly recommended, unfortunately this book isn't really about fall (despite the cover art), rather the story centers on the life-cycle of a tree, from a seed to a nursery to a garden center to a home. It reads at times like a child's science book. A nice enough story, but not a huge hit with my children.


This is F's current favorite book and we've been reading it every night. The story is simple with lots of repetition (almost every page has the phrase "it's big and it's mine, but it's stuck on the vine, and Halloween's just hours away") which kids seem to like. Plus, it introduces ghosts and vampires and mummies in a completely non-scary way, leading to many discussions about what a ghost is, whether they really exist, whether halloween is scary, etc.


This is another book that deals with seasons, starting with October when the ox-cart man fills up his cart "with everything [his family] made or grew all year long that was left over." A nice introduction to semi-off-the-grid life for children (and, as I've already posted about) I'm obsessed with people who live off the grid.


A very simple book that details the different types of leaves that you see in fall with really lovely illustrations and catchy little rhymes. My goal is to use it for a "leaf scavenger hunt" when more of the trees start to change color.


This is a classic, so I'm sure almost everyone has read it at one point or another. Though not exactly a fall book per se it has lovely illustrations of monsters, so if your kids haven't read it yet, halloween might be the perfect time to check it out.


How about everyone else? Any recommended fall books? I'd love to hear them!
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Regarding the photos -
Left corner of top photo - Plumply, Dumply Pumpkin, top right corner of top photo - It's Fall (Celebrate the Seasons), top left corner of middle photo - Little Monsters [POP UP-LITTLE MONSTERS], bottom right corner of middle photo - Fall Is Not Easy