30 Kids Books to Welcome and Celebrate Fall
Fall is here. The days are darker and cooler. The ground is scattered with fallen leaves. There's a feeling of change in the air. It's also a time for apple picking, pumpkin pie, cider, scarecrows, and more seasonal fun. Below are 30 books for kids—picture books, early readers, chapter books, and middle grade fiction—that celebrate the changing seasons and set the stage for snuggly fall vibes.
Picture Books
Whirl
by Deborah Kerbel; illustrated by Josée Bisaillon
Follow the wordless journey of a maple seed, sometimes called a maple key or whirligig, as it helicopters away from its parent tree and floats across a city on the autumn wind.
Goodbye Summer, Hello Autumn
by Kenard Pak
Join a young girl as she takes a walk through forest and town, greeting all the signs of the coming season. In a series of conversations with every flower and creature and gust of wind, she says good-bye to summer and welcomes autumn.
Little Moar and the Moon
by Roselynn Akulukjuk; illustrated by Jazmine Gubbe
Moar has always loved autumn—but there is one thing that really worries him. The moon. The days become shorter and the moon seems to be looking down on him before he can even get home from school. One day, Moar is determined to get home before the moon appears in the sky. But there are so many fun things to do, he may just run out of time!
Hiking Day
by Anne Rockwell; illustrated by Lizzy Rockwell
A little girl and her family go hiking up a nearby mountain for the very first time. As they climb up and up the path, they see everything from a friendly toad to a prickly porcupine, tall leafy trees to tiny red berries.
Sun and Shiro and the Polka-Dot Snake
by Hiyoko Imai
Sun and his dog Shiro love to spend their days outdoors. They also really like the shiny red apples that grow on trees in the Fall. On their latest adventure, they meet a curious little creature named Polka Dot Snake, who loves apples even more than they do! But it seems it’s eating too many a bit too fast...
It's Fall
by Linda Glaser; illustrated by Susan Swan
Simple text and bold, beautiful paper sculpture convey the animal life, plant life, weather, colors, clothing, and feelings associated with the fall season.
The Leaf Thief
by Alice Hemming and Nicola Slater
When leaves start disappearing as autumn approaches, Squirrel is befuddled by this development and wonders if there is a leaf thief on the loose!
Sweep
by Louise Greig; illustrated by Júlia Sardà
Ed's bad mood begins as something really small, hardly a thing at all. But before long it grows, gathers pace, and spreads through the whole town. Can Ed sweep his troubles away?
Amara's Farm
by JaNay Brown-Wood; illustrated by Samara Hardy
A young girl named Amara asks readers to help her search for pumpkins on her farm in preparation for a potluck with her friends, in this joyful celebration of cool-weather fruits and vegetables.
Fletcher and the Falling Leaves
by Julia Rawlinson; illustrated by Tiphanie Beeke
When his favorite tree begins to lose its leaves, Fletcher the fox worries that it is sick, but instead a magical sight is in store for him.
Early Readers and Chapter Books
Apple of My Pie
by Mika Song
When Norma, Belly, and their friend little B go into uncharted territory—the apple orchard—to find spy-master Pops, who has been squirrel-napped, they wonder if their adventure will end in tragedy—or apple pie!
Apple Picking Day!
by Candice F. Ransom; illustrated by Erika Meza
A sister and brother celebrate the autumn season during a trip to a local apple orchard, where they race each other to pick the most and best apples amid rows and rows of beautiful apple trees.
How To Bake an Apple Pie
by Jean Reagan; illustrated by Lee Wildish
When the weather is cool and the apples are fresh, the best thing to do is warm up by baking an apple pie! It's grandma's favorite! Join Grandpa to create a delicious surprise to warm Grandma's heart on a chilly autumn day. Plus, you can learn a few tips and tricks from the experts — kids!
How Many Seeds in a Pumpkin?
by Margaret McNamara; illustrated by G. Brian Karas
When Mr. Tiffin asks his class to guess the number of seeds inside each of the three different-sized pumpkins placed on his desk, the guessing games begin and all are surprised to discover that the smallest one contains the most seeds of them all!
The Candy Corn Contest
by Patricia Reilly Giff
Richard Best can't stop thinking about Ms. Rooney's Candy Corn contest. Whoever can guess the exact number of candies in the jar gets to keep them all. The only problem is Richard has to read a page in a library book for each guess. Smelly Matthew, who sits in front of him, knows they'll never win. "We're the worst readers in the class," he says. But Richard won't give up. He can already taste those Candy Corns. And before he knows it, he has. Three fat juicy ones. What will Ms. Rooney do when she finds out?
Sweater Weather
by Cam Higgins
The weather has turned cool and crisp, and farm puppy Bo can not wait to show off his new sweater to all his barnyard friends; however when he finds that the pumpkin patch is a mess he sets out to find just who is responsible.
Biscuit and the Great Fall Day
story by Alyssa Satin Capucilli; pictures by Rose Mary Berlin in the style of Pat Schories
Everyone’s favorite little yellow puppy frolics throughout a fall day, picking apples, jumping in leaves, running through a corn maze, and riding on a tractor.
Crazy for Apples
by C.L. Reid; illustrated by Elena Aiello
Loving everything about apple-picking season, from the crisp autumn weather and colorful leaves to the numerous treats that her family makes with ripe apples, Emma embarks on an unexpected adventure that is complemented by an ASL fingerspelling chart
Owl Diaries: Trip to the Pumpkin Farm
by Rebecca Elliott
Eva Wingdale and her class are excited about their trip to Poppy's Pumpkin Farm, where every year, there is one very large, extra special, thank-you pumpkin; but on the second day of the visit, the owls find that the Thank-you Pumpkin has gone missing, and the farm animals are in an uproar—so Eva and the other owls turn detective to solve the mystery of the missing pumpkin. Part of the Owl Diaries series.
Mouse Loves Fall
by Lauren Thompson; illustrated by Buket Erdogan
One cool fall day, Mouse and Minka come out to play! They are greeted by red, yellow, orange, and brown leaves of all shapes and sizes. Mouse runs and skips and kicks and swishes through all the leaves.
Middle Grade
The Brilliant Fall of Gianna Z.
by Kate Messner
Gianna has less than one week to complete her leaf project if she wants to compete in the upcoming cross-country sectionals, but issues like procrastination, disorganization—and her grandmother's declining health—seem destined to keep her from finishing.
This Was Our Pact
by Ryan Andrews
It's the night of the annual Autumn Equinox Festival when the town gathers to float paper lanterns down the river. Legend has it that after drifting out of sight, they'll soar off to the Milky Way and turn into brilliant stars, but could that actually be true? This year, Ben and his classmates are determined to find out where those lanterns really go and to ensure success in their mission, they've made a pact with two simple rules: No one turns for home. No one looks back.
Angels Ride Bikes: And Other Fall Poems/Los Angeles Andan En Cicicleta: Y Otros Poemas De Otono
by Francisco X. Alarcón; illustrated by Maya Christina Gonzalez
A bilingual collection of poems in which the renowned Mexican American poet revisits and celebrates his childhood memories of fall in the city and growing up in Los Angeles.
All Four Quarters of the Moon
by Shirley Marr
The night of the Mid-Autumn Festival, making mooncakes with Ah-Ma, was the last time Peijing Guo remembers her life being the same. Now adapting to their new life in Australia, Peijing thinks everything is going to turn out okay as long as they all have each other, but cracks are starting to appear in the family.
Shirley & Jamila's Big Fall (Graphic Novel)
by Gillian Goerz
As Jamila settles into the rhythms of classes and after-school basketball practice, Shirley has a new mystery on her mind. Their old enemy Chuck has been blackmailing kids all over school. They hatch a plan: They'll break into Chuck's house and recover all the notes he's been using to blackmail innocent kids. But while Shirley and Jamila are at the house, another intruder arrives who can help them put a stop to Chuck's crimes once and for all. Book 1: Shirley & Jamila Save Their Summer
Me and the Pumpkin Queen
by Marlane Kennedy
Although Aunt Arlene tries to interest her in clothing and growing up, eleven-year-old Mildred is entirely focused on growing a pumpkin big enough to win the annual Circleville, Ohio, contest, in honor of her mother.
Yours Truly: A Pumpkin Falls Mystery
by Heather Vogel Frederick
Even Truly Lovejoy has to admit that teeny-tiny Pumpkin Falls, New Hampshire, has its charms—like the annual maple festival, where tourists flock from all over to sample the local maple syrup, maple candy, maple coffee, and even maple soap! But when someone tries to sabotage the maple trees on her friend Franklin’s family farm, Truly has to rally the Pumpkin Falls Private Eyes to investigate. Book 1: Absolutely Truly
Applesauce Weather
by Helen Frost
Preparing for her family's annual tradition of picking apples, making applesauce and listening to her Uncle Arthur tell his tall tales, young Faith comforts her uncle, who has lost his zest for stories in the aftermath of losing his wife.
Moominvalley in November
by Tove Jansson; translated by Kingsley Hart
Now that autumn is turning into winter, a group of unlikely friends is waiting in Moominvalley to see the Moomins, for winter doesn't seem right without them. But the Moomins are not at home. So all the visitors settle down to await their return and oddly enough find themselves warming up to their new life together.
Seed
by Caryl Lewis
Life is tough at home for Marty, but his eccentric grandad has a plan up his sleeve to give him hope that involves wishes, a pumpkin, and a trip all the way from England to Paris.
Summaries provided via NYPL’s catalog, which draws from multiple sources. Click through to each book’s title for more.