Well September is about half over and this week has been unseasonably warm, but fall temperatures are just around the corner. So grab a pumpkin spice latte and check out this list of fall books to prep for your little ones.
1. Leaves Fall Down By Lisa Bullard: A boy and his mom go out for a walk in the fall and the boy is very curious about all of the changes he sees. Find out why leaves change color and learn new vocabulary in this simple fall book.
2. Leaf Man By Lois Ehlert: Fall just would not be complete without this gorgeous book. The illustrations are made from actual leaves and the die-cut pages create a beautiful changing landscape across the top of the pages. The story is simple but will surely inspire nature lovers to take a closer look at all of the unique leaves around them.
3. Red Leaf, Yellow Leaf By Lois Ehlert: Follow the life of a maple tree in another one of Lois Ehlert’s beautiful books. The vibrant colors and simple, to the point storyline make this an excellent choice for young readers.
4. We’re Going on a Leaf Hunt By Steve Metzger: This new version of the favorite song is a great choice to read aloud. Lots of repetition for little ones to join in on and the book also teaches a few tree names along the way.
5. Why Do Leaves Change Color? By Betsy Maestro: This Let’s-Read-and-Find-Out book explains the process of how leaves change their color in fall. It includes lots of information and detailed pictures of leaves of different shapes, sizes and colors.
6. There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed Some Leaves By Lucille Colandro: Our favorite little old lady is back swallowing all kinds of fall themed items in this book. Surely kids will get a laugh out of this old lady’s silliness.
7. Colorful Leaves By Maria Fleming: I can always count on Scholastic to have great easy nonfiction readers. This book describes leaf shapes, what leaves do, and how a leaf changes and grows. A perfect first nonfiction book about leaves.
8. By the Light of the Harvest Moon By Harriet Ziefert: Celebrate all things fall with this read aloud full of rich descriptive language. Leaf people emerge from piles making this a perfect book to compare with Lois Ehlert’s Leaf Man.
9. Little Elliot Fall Friends By Mike Curato: Little Elliot and Mouse are the most adorable little friends in this story that will inspire you to slow down and smell the pumpkins with someone you love.
10. Goodbye Summer, Hello Autumn By Kenard Pak: The soft illustrations in this book compliment the simple storyline that follows all of the changes that happen in late summer as we transition to fall. A quick and easy read aloud for young listeners.
11. Wonderfall By Michael Hall: This book is full of clever word play and offers a playful spin on learning about fall. Check out the apple harvest (“Plentifall”), fall colors of the farmer’s market (“Beautifall”), and Halloween (“Frightfall”).
12. Autumn Snow By Flitzy Books: This book offers a fresh perspective on fall from the eyes of a little girl who compares falling leaves to snowflakes. A unique way to look at the season and great introduction to similes.
If you are still a little overwhelmed trying to decide which books to use and what skills to practice, I am taking all the guesswork out of that for you!
I created this Fall: Read & Respond resource to go along with 5 of my favorite fall books above. It is the perfect way to strengthen comprehension and writing skills along with some fun craftivities to keep your kids engaged! And all of the activities are differentiated for K-2 and Common Core aligned.
Activate schema, ask and answer questions with Leaves Fall Down by Lisa Bullard.
Then write a fall themed poem.
Learn new vocabulary with Leaf Man by Lois Ehlert.
Then make this adorable leaf man craft and write about a leaf man adventure.
Practice sequencing a story with There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed Some Leaves by Lucille Colandro.
Then write about how to build a scarecrow and build a scarecrow craft.
Infer the meaning of new words and write about your favorite fall activity with Why Do Leaves Change Color? by Betsy Maestro.
Find the main idea with Colorful Leaves By Maria Fleming.
Then write a nonfiction book all about fall.
You can grab all of these activities here Fall: Read & Respond, happy fall!
These are super cute and I love that they go along with stories!!
Thanks!
This is awesome!! I really love the fact that you sectioned the books into themes. I feel that it makes learning much more fun because the students can relate to the differences. The activities go along so well too so that’s a great plus!
A very nice recap and summaries for All the books you’ve mentioned. Thanks and a very nice collections though!
Children and Teen Books
How do I get access to the leaf man activity?
You can find that activity here:
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Fall-Read-and-Respond-2882043