A Field Guide to Autumn: Play and Learn in Nature by Gabby Dawnay (⭐NEW 2024)

A Field Guide to Autumn is a pocket-sized introduction to autumn. Building on children’s natural curiosity about the world around them, this book aims to establish a connection with nature at an early age that will go on to last a lifetime!

Ages: 4 to 8

🍂 Leaves & Seasonal Changes
📚 Non-Fiction & Learning

A Very Big Fall by Emmy Kastner

Birch, Maple and Oak are about to undergo a transformation but three leaves from these trees aren’t sure how they feel about the coming change. A cute story about change.

Ages: 4 to 7

🍂 Leaves & Seasonal Changes
❤️ Big Feelings & Growing Up

Applesauce Day by Lisa J. Amstutz

It’s applesauce day! Maria and her family set out to pick apples and make applesauce with grandma using a special old pot. A heartwarming story about a fall family tradition that makes you crave homemade applesauce.

Ages: 4 to 8

🍎 Apple Stories

Apples and Pumpkins by Anne Rockwell

It’s time to visit Comstock Farm and pick apples and pumpkins. A simple book about a young girl visiting a farm and finding the perfect pumpkin to carve to Halloween.

Ages: 2 to 4

🍎 Apple Stories
🎃 Pumpkins Fun

Autumn by Gerta Muller

A wordless book filled with beautiful illustrations. This story is part of Gerta Muller’s Seasons Board book Collection.

Ages: 0 to 3

👶 Board Books

Autumn Equinox: Celebrating the Harvest by Ellen Jackson

A non-fiction book about the Autumn Equinox and how it is celebrated around the world.

Ages: 7+

🌾 Harvest Traditions
📚 Non-Fiction & Learning

Autumn In The Forest by Rusty Finch

A beautifully illustrated autumn lift-the-flap board book for young children. This book is part of the Pop-Up Seasons board books: Spring and Summer are also available.

Ages: 0 to 5

🍂 Leaves & Seasonal Changes
👶 Board Books

Autumn is here! by Heidi Pross Gray

A brightly coloured book about things in nature that show us that autumn is here! Simple and sweet, perfect for young children.

Ages: 2 to 6

🍂 Leaves & Seasonal Changes
👶 Board Books

Autumn Leaves Fall by Amber Hendricks

A simple poem about leaves falling in autumn. The illustrations follow animal friends as they explore autumn together. This board book perfect for toddlers.

Ages: 0 to 5

🍂 Leaves & Seasonal Changes
👶 Board Books

Autumn Story by Jill Barklem

A charming autumn story about the mice of Brambly Hedge. This classic children’s story has been much loved around the world since it was published in 1980.

Ages: 3 to 5

🦔 Woodland Animal Tales

Awesome Autumn: All Kinds of Fall Facts and Fun by Bruce Goldstone

A brightly coloured book filled with photographs and facts about awesome autumn.

Ages: 4 to 8

📚 Non-Fiction & Learning

Barn in Fall by Chambrae Griffith (⭐NEW 2025)

Autumn has come to the farm, and Barn is opening her doors to young guests for a who choose pumpkins, pick apples, ride hayrides, and show lots of love to all the farm animals. 

Ages: 1 to 3

🍂 Leaves & Seasonal Changes
👶 Board Books

Because of an Acorn by Lola M. Schaefer and Adam Schaefer

An acorn is just the beginning. Because of an acorn a tree grows, a bird nests, a seed falls, a flower grows… and so the story goes. A simple story depicting connections in a ecosystem that is beautifully illustrated with die-cuts.

Ages: 2 to 5

🍂 Leaves & Seasonal Changes

Every Autumn Comes the Bear by Jim Arnosky

Every autumn comes the bear, searching for something important. A simple story filled with beautiful illustrations that has been a family favourite for years.

Ages: 4 to 6

🦔 Woodland Animal Tales

Fall Leaves by Loretta Holland

An exploration of autumnal changes combined with luminescent illustrations. Simple, glowing and autumnal.

Ages: 4 to 7

🍂 Leaves & Seasonal Changes

Fall Ball for All by Jamie Swenson

This beautifully illustrated picture book tells the story of the annual fall ball is a lovely rhyming sequence.

Ages: 5 to 8

🦔 Woodland Animal Tales

Fall Mixed Up by Robert Raczka

A silly rhyming poem about fall all mixed up. This book always made my children laugh.

Ages: 2 to 5

Fletcher and the Falling Leaves by Julia Rawlinson

It’s autumn and Fletcher the fox is worried that his favourite tree is loosing its leaves, so he tries to help. A lovely story filled with beautiful illustrations.

Ages: 2 to 6

🍂 Leaves & Seasonal Changes
🦔 Woodland Animal Tales

Goodbye Summer, Hello Autumn by Kenard Pak

A young girl takes a walk through the forest and town and sees plants, animals and insects getting ready for autumn. Magical illustrations bring this simple story to life.

Ages: 2 to 6

🍂 Leaves & Seasonal Changes

Hedgehugs: Autumn Hide-and-Squeak by Steve Wilson

A sweet autumn story about two hedgehogs, Horace and Hattie, playing hide-and-squeeze with their new friend bat. This is book three of the Hedgehugs book series: Hedgehugs (Book 1) and Hedgehugs and the Hattiepillar (Book 2). These books are a favourite with my toddler.

Ages: 2 to 6

🦔 Woodland Animal Tales
👶 Board Books

Hello, Harvest Moon by Ralph Fletcher

A lovely lyrical story about autumn and the bright harvest moon filled with glowing oil paintings.

Ages: 4 to 7

🌙 Moonlight & Nighttime Magic

Hiking Day by Anne Rockwell

A young girl and her parents go for a autumn hike on Hickory Hill and observe fall changes and animals along the way. Simple and sweet.

Ages: 4 to 8

🍂 Leaves & Seasonal Changes

If You Find a Leaf by Aimee Sicuro

A beautiful picture book about a young girl that uses different leaves to spark her creativity and imagination.

Ages: 3 to 5

🍂 Leaves & Seasonal Changes

In November by Cynthia Rylant

November has arrived and so has late autumn. The trees are bare, birds have migrated south, animals sleep more and food smells delicious. A lyrical story filled with magical oil paintings.

Ages: 2 to 7

🍂 Leaves & Seasonal Changes

In the Autumn Forest by Daniela Kulot (⭐NEW 2025)

When a storm is imminent, the animals debate whether something bad is brewing or not. Fox feels it. Crow sees it. And Mouse listens. But Squirrel insists there’s no need to panic. A friendship-driven social-emotional picture book about listening to one other and appreciating nature’s gifts. Continue reading about Fox, Mouse, Crow, and Squirrel in the companion book, In the Winter Woods.

Ages: 3 to 7

🦔 Woodland Animal Tales

In the Middle of Fall by Kevin Henkes

In the middle of fall the sky is grey, the air is chilly and the gardens are brown. A simple story about the changes in nature from the middle to the end of fall.

Ages: 2 to 5

🍂 Leaves & Seasonal Changes

Johnny Appleseed by Steven Kellogg

The story of John Chapman and how he became known as Johnny Appleseed. Originally published in1988, this tall tale continues to be a favourite with children, including my own.

Ages: 4 to 8

🍎 Apple Stories

Leaf Man by Lois Ehlert

The wind is blowing and leaf man is on the move. A beautiful book filled with illustration of real fall leaves.

Ages: 2 to 5

🍂 Leaves & Seasonal Changes

Leaves by David Ezra Stein

It was bears first year and everything was going well until the first leaf fell. A sweet story about falling leaves, bear’s search for a winter home, a winter’s sleep and spring leaves.

Ages: 1 to 3

🍂 Leaves & Seasonal Changes
🦔 Woodland Animal Tales

Leif and the Fall by Allison Grant and Adam Grant

Leif, a leaf, lives an oak tree and is worried about falling and getting hurt. Leif tries to find ways to make the fall less scary but has no luck. Eventually Leif falls and is alright!

Ages: 5 to 8

🍂 Leaves & Seasonal Changes
❤️ Big Feelings & Growing Up

Little Acorn by Melanie Joyce

A rhyming story about a little acorn that falls and grows into a tree. A sweet story about the life cycle of an oak tree.

Ages: 1 to 4

👶 Board Books

Little Homesteader: A Fall Treasury of Recipes, Crafts, and Wisdom by Angela Ferraro-Fanning 

This charmingly illustrated seasonal treasury of nature-based crafts, baking recipes, and gardening projects for the fall celebrates the homesteading lifestyle with self-sufficient and eco-friendly fun.

Ages: 5 to 8

🍂 Leaves & Seasonal Changes
📚 Non-Fiction & Learning

Little Tree by Loren Long

Autumn arrives and little tree refuses to let his leave fall, and so year after year little tree remains small. A gentle story about letting go and growing up.

Ages: 3 to 6

🍂 Leaves & Seasonal Changes
❤️ Big Feelings & Growing Up

Oak: The Littlest Leaf Girl by Lucy Fleming (⭐NEW 2024)

Oak loves nothing more than playing with her animal friends of the forest—dancing with Squirrel and holding toadstool tea parties with the bumbling bugs. But as the season begins to change, and a slight chill fills the air, the usual bustle of the tree begins to slow…. Oak realizes that change is just an opportunity for new adventures—and that the meaning of home is wherever loved ones are.

Ages: 3 to 7

🍂 Leaves & Seasonal Changes
❤️ Big Feelings & Growing Up

Pumpkin Soup by Helen Cooper

Cat, Squirrel and Duck work together to make a delicious pumpkin soup every single day, But one day the three friends have a squabble and the soup doesn’t turn out quite the same. A story about friendship and forgiveness.

Ages: 2 to 6

🦔 Woodland Animal Tales
🎃 Pumpkins Fun

Red Leaf, Yellow Leaf by Lois Ehlert

A sweet story about a child that loves their sugar maple tree. A colorful book about planting and growing a maple tree.

Ages: 4 to 7

🍂 Leaves & Seasonal Changes

Scarecrow by Cynthia Rylant

A scarecrow is made up of borrowed parts but even so he enjoys the beauty of nature that surrounds him. A gentle story about the life of a scarecrow.

Ages: 4 to 7

🌻 Scarecrow Stories

Sleep Tight Farm: A Farm Prepares for Winter by Eugenie Doyle

The strawberries are covered in straw, vegetables are stored in the barn, cover crops are sown in the fields, and so goes the story as the family prepares the farm for winter. A lovely story that is both informative and interesting.

Ages: 2 to 6

🌾Harvest Traditions

Sophie’s Squash by Pat Zietlow Miller 

One bright fall day Sophie picks a squash at the farmers’ market, her parents have plans to cook it but Sophie has something else in mind. This is a cute story about a young girl’s unique friendship with a squash and its surprising transformation.

Ages: 3 to 6

❤️ Big Feelings & Growing Up

Strega Nona’s Harvest by Tomie dePaola

Strega Nona tries to teach Big Anthony how to garden but he decides to grow a garden his own way. A funny story about growing and harvesting. One of Tomie dePaola’s nine charming Strega Nona stories.

Ages: 4 to 8

🌾 Harvest Traditions
🎃 Pumpkins Fun

Summer Green to Autumn Gold: Uncovering Leaves’ Hidden Colors by Mia Posada

An informative book about why green leaves turn yellow, orange and red in the autumn.

Ages: 5 to 10

🍂 Leaves & Seasonal Changes
📚 Non-Fiction & Learning

Sweep by Louise Greig

Ed was in a bad mood and starts to sweep them away. What started as something small because something really big. A story set in the fall that helps children learn about managing big feelings.

Ages: 4 to 8

❤️ Big Feelings & Growing Up

Thanksgiving in the Woods by Phyllis Alsdurf

The day has finally come for Thanksgiving in the Woods. Rich illustrations and lovely lyrical storytelling based on a Thanksgiving tradition of a family from Upstate New Year. From the author of A Simply Christmas on the Farm.

Ages: 2 to 6

🌾 Harvest Traditions

The Busy Little Squirrel by Nancy Tafuri

Squirrel is so busy getting ready for winter! A cute story with lovely colour-fall illustrations.

Ages: 1 to 3

🦔 Woodland Animal Tales

The Little Yellow Leaf by Carin Berger

A little yellow leaf clings to a great oak not quite ready to fall to the ground. A lyrical story filled about facing the unknown.

Ages: 3 to 6

🍂 Leaves & Seasonal Changes

The Leaf Thief by Alice Hemming

Autumn has arrived and squirrel is convinced that someone is stealing leaves from squirrel’s favourite tree. Squirrel teams up with bird to find the leaf thief. A fun story with charming characters.

Ages: 2 to 5

🍂 Leaves & Seasonal Changes
🦔 Woodland Animal Tales

The Pumpkin Book by Gail Gibbons

In this cheerfully-illustrated, simply-presented book, children can learn about the growth cycle and many varieties of pumpkins, and even how to plant their own.  Award-winning author Gail Gibbons also relates the special role pumpkins played in the first Thanksgiving, the history behind carving pumpkins into jack’o’lanterns, and how pumpkins are still part of our celebrations today.

Ages: 5 to 8

🎃 Pumpkins Fun

The Roll-Away Pumpkin by Junia Wonders

Marla Little’s pumpkin is rolling away! Soon a whole cast of characters are running after the run away run away pumpkin. Will they catch it? Read the book and find out. A fun read for young children.

Ages: 2 to 6

🎃 Pumpkins Fun

The Very Last Leaf by Stef Wade

Lance Cottonwood is the best and brightest student, but come the end of the autumn semester lance started to worry about his final exam. Lance was afraid to fall.. A gentle story about facing fears.

Ages: 5 to 7

🍂 Leaves & Seasonal Changes
❤️ Big Feelings & Growing Up

The Scarecrow: A Fall Book for Kids by Beth Ferry

A heartwarming poem about a scarecrow through the seasons. A story that touches on loneliness and friendship that’s with beautiful illustrations.

Ages: 3 to 7

🌻 Scarecrow Stories

Too Many Pumpkins by Linda White

Every spring Rebecca Estelle plants the perfect amount of vegetables to eat over the long winter, but there’s one vegetable Rebecca does not plant: pumpkins! Through an unfortunate event pumpkins start growing in her garden. What will she do?

Ages: 3 to 7

🎃 Pumpkins Fun

We Gather Together: Celebrating the Harvest Season by Wendy Pfeffer

An informative books about the Autumn Equinox and who people around the world celebrate this event from past to present.

Ages: 6 to 9

🌾 Harvest Traditions

What to Look For in Autumn by Elizabeth Jenner

A nice little about autumn changes in nature. One of the four Ladybird Books: Spring, Summer and Winter.

Ages: 7 to 9

🍂 Leaves & Seasonal Changes
📚 Non-Fiction & Learning

Winter Is Coming by Tony Johnston

A beautifully illustrated story about a girl that patiently watches autumn unfold from her tree stand.

Ages: 3 to 7

🍂 Leaves & Seasonal Changes

Wonderfall by Michael Hall

A book filled with ‘fall’ words exploring the beautiful season of autumn.

Ages: 4 to 8

🍂 Leaves & Seasonal Changes

Worm Weather by Jean Taft

Drip, drop. Wiggle, squirm. It’s worm weather. Word play about a rainy day and worms.

Ages: 2 to 4

Yellow Time by Lauren Stringer

Autumn is yellow time, the time before white time. A brightly illustrated story about autumn changes in nature.

Ages: 4 to 8

🍂 Leaves & Seasonal Changes

You’re My Little Pumpkin Pie by Natalie Marshall

A sweet little pumpkin book for your own little pumpkin.

Ages: baby to 2

🎃 Pumpkins Fun
👶 Board Books