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20 Of The Best Fall Books For Kids

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Alison Doherty

Senior Contributor

Alison Doherty is a writing teacher and part time assistant professor living in Brooklyn, New York. She has an MFA from The New School in writing for children and teenagers. She loves writing about books on the Internet, listening to audiobooks on the subway, and reading anything with a twisty plot or a happily ever after.

Looking for fall books for kids? There are a lot of autumn books to choose from. Fall is magical time of year, especially for children. There’s the magic (and science!) of leaves changing colors and falling off the trees. The deliciousness of freshly picked apples, squash from the farmer’s market, and homemade pumpkin pies. The thrill and anxiety of going back to school. The celebration of Halloween, Mooncake Festival, Thanksgiving, and many more holidays. Fall is full of exciting topics for children to read about.

This list of fall books for kids covers pictures books perfect for reading aloud together. It also includes early readers and beginner chapter books for new readers to tackle on their own. There are lots of fall books with activities among the list. And the activities range from a song to sing on a leaf hunt to directions for roasting pumpkin seeds. And with the extra anxiety a lot of children are feeling this year about going to school in person for the first time in a long time, I added some books about being nervous while doing new things. Fall is a special time of year. And I hope the books on this list help you and the little ones in your life celebrate the new season.

Fall Picture Books for Kids

goodbye summer, hello autumn book cover

Goodbye Summer, Hello Autumn by Kendard Pak

With lyrical language and beautiful illustrations, this picture book shows a young girl walking through the forest and noticing the indications of the seasons changing from summer to autumn.

We're Going on a Leaf Hunt Book Cover

We’re Going on a Leaf Hunt by Steve Metzger and Miki Sakamoto

A rhyming picture book with lots of opportunities to repeat lines and say funny side effects. Three friends are on adventure hiking of a mountain looking for leaves. By reading this aloud, you and your young readers will be able to join them on their hunt.

Sophie's Squash Book Cover

Sophie’s Squash by Pat Zietlow Miller and and Anne Wilsdorf 

A trip to the farmer’s market is supposed to provide Sophie’s family with dinner. Instead, she names the squash her mom buys Bernice and insists she is a friend — not food. Her parents and friends try to tell her that Bernice won’t last. She doesn’t believe them, but soon the squash starts getting soft and squishy.

Shadow in the Moon Book Cover

The Shadow in the Moon: A Tale of the Mid-Autumn Festival by Christina Matula and Pearl Law

This fall picture book shows two sisters excited to celebrate an autumn Chinese holiday. They are excited to listen to their Ah-ma’s stories and eat mooncakes.

The Scarecrow

The Scarecrow by Beth Ferry and the Fan Brothers

All of the animals are afraid of the scarecrow. He spends season after season alone. But one fall, a baby crow falls near the scarecrow. He helps the baby crow survive, until it is time for him to fly away for winter migration.

Hungry Bunny Book Cover

Hungry Bunny by Claudia Rueda

Part book, part toy, this interactive story shows bunny trying to pick apples for mama’s pie. But bunny isn’t tall enough to reach the apples on the tall tree. That’s where young readers come in with a variety of ways to help bunny reach.

In the Leaves Book Cover

In the Leaves by Huy Voun Lee

Xiao Ming’s mother takes him and his friends to visit a farm. He shows his friends how Chinese characters relate to the words they represent by drawing them in the dirt. The autumn landscape behind their lesson is beautifully portrayed through collage illustrations.

The Magical Yet Book Cover

The Magical Yet by Angela DiTerlizzi and Lorena Alvarez 

This rhyming picture book about learning to adjust to new skills and activities is perfect for fall, back-to-school season. In the story every person has a magical yet. To remind them that if there is something they don’t think they can do (from riding a bike to playing the bassoon) they just can’t do it yet.

Bella's Fall Coat Book Cover

Bella’s Fall Coat by Lynn Plourde and Susan Gal 

Bella loves everything about fall. And her favorite thing about the season is the beautiful coat her Grams made for her. But this year her coat is too small and worn out. She is devastated until her Grams shows her how to find uses for her old coat, while making her a new one that has all the colors of the autumn leaves.

The Very Last Leaf Book Cover

The Very Last Leaf by Stef Wade and Jennifer Davison

Lance Cottonwood is the brightest leaf student in his entire tree’s school. But when it comes to the final test — falling — he’s terrified. When the time comes he wonders if he’ll be able to do it and ace the test. Or will he freeze up and be the last leaf on his tree forever?

Fall Early Readers

Why Do Leaves Change Color Cover

Why Do Leaves Change Color? by Betsy Maestro and Loretta Krupinski 

This nonfiction early reader answers the biggest question of autumn — why do the green leaves turn red, orange, yellow, and brown in the fall?

Apple Picking Day Cover

Apple Picking Day by Candice Ransom and Erika Meza

This rhyming early reader tells the story of a brother and sister going on an autumn trip to the local apple orchard. It is an upbeat story following all the steps of picking apples. And the rhyme scheme is designed to help promote phonemic awareness and aid beginning readers in having a successful reading experience.

From Seed to Pumpkin Book Cover

From Seed to Pumpkin by Wendy Pfeffer and James Graham Hale

The book explores the life cycle of a pumpkin through an elementary school Earth science perspective. It also includes several fall pumpkin activities from how to roast pumpkin seeds, how pumpkin can be baked into a pie, and science experiments.

Rocket and the Perfect Pumpkin Book Cover

Rocket and the Perfect Pumpkin by Tad Hills

Rocket and Bella find the perfect pumpkin in the pumpkin patch. But it is harder to get the pumpkin home than they thought it would be. It’s especially hard to get it up the hill without it rolling back down. The friends will have think creatively and work together to get their perfect pumpkin home.

Mouse Loves Fall Book Cover

Mouse Loves Fall by Lauren Thompson and Buket Erdogan

It is fall, the leaves are changing colors, and Mouse and Minka are ready to play outside. The language of the story focuses on colors, numbers, and adjectives. And the story is relatable to anyone who has ever jumped into a giant pile of leaves. Important words are bolded to help with vocabulary building.

Never Bring a Zebracorn to School

Never Bring a Zebracorn to School by Jack Lewis

This early reader fits in perfectly with back to school season. It is a comedic story of the chaos that ensues when a little girl brings her pet zebracorn to school for show and tell. An added bonus is that the hilarious tale is told in rhymes!

Boo Katie Woo Book Cover

Boo, Katie Woo! by Fran Manushkin and Tammie Lyon 

Katie Woo’s favorite part of fall is Halloween. This year she plans to frighten everyone by dressing up like a scary monster. But she’s sad and disappointed when people can tell it is her and aren’t scared.

Fall Chapter Books for Beginning Readers

me and pumpkin queen book cover

Me and the Pumpkin Queen by Marlane Kennedy

Mildred misses her mother who passed away when she was 6 years old. She finds a connection with the past by trying to grow a large pumpkin for the Circleville, Ohio pumpkin festival. Along with Mildred’s story, this book provides step by step instructions on how to grow pumpkins for any young botanists.

Rosco the Rascal Visits the Pumpkin Patch Book Cover

Roscoe the Rascal Visits the Pumpkin Patch by Shana Gorian

A German Shepard named Rosco visits a pumpkin patch with his humans James and Mandy. But inside the corn maze they find older bullies wearing skeleton masks and scaring younger kids. All day Rosco has been a mischievous rascal, but now is the time for him to step up and become a hero.

ninjas don't bake pumpkin pies book cover

Ninjas Don’t Bake Pumpkin Pies by Debbie Dadey and Marcia T. Jones

The iconic 1990s Bailey School Kids are at it again. Party hilarious farce, part spooky story, the students jump to conclusions about the new baker in town. This early mystery will hook readers and teach them an important lesson about making assumptions. One of the best fall books for kids who might be nervous about going back to school this autumn.


I hope you find many new favorite fall books for kids on this list! If you want to get a jumpstart on the next season, you can peruse 12 Snow Picture Books or 24 Cozy Winter Books for Preschoolers.