Seasonal Bookshelf | Autumn Books for Children

by Gerda Muller

This very simple board book is one of a full, seasonal collection by the talented Gerda Muller, who is famed in the ‘Waldorf’ world for her whimsical, seasonal’esque children’s books.

The Autumn instalment of Muller’s seasonal collection, like the others, is wordless. But the pictures are enough to hit those nostalgic, Autumnal feelings.

2. Woody, Hazel and Little Pip

by Elsa Beskow

A wonderful story about how some cheeky, acorn children get blown away by the wind, and the mission to find them!

3. The Apple Cake

by Nienke van Hichtum

Here is another Waldorf world favourite, about trading and sharing in order to all find what we need!

In this story an older lady wants to bake an apple cake, but has no apples!

4. Leaf Man

by Lois Ehlert

Of course, you instantly understand through the amazing pictures that this book is very autumnal, and although the story is itself interesting, what I absolutely LOVE about this book is the creativity with natural materials to make pictures.

This is a great book for getting your children’s imaginations in gear for a really fun, outdoor, creativity session!! What can you make from leaves?!

5. Goodbye Summer, Hello Autumn

by Kenard Pak

A simple, but magical book about following the changes of the setons from summer to autumn! Beautiful!

6. Flower Fairies of the Autumn

by Cicely Mary Barker

We actually own the full treasury of Flower Fairy Poems, and I recommend the entire, seasonal spectrum as they’re so sweet and wonderful!

In the Autumn section, you can find fairies such as the Horse Chestnut Fairy, the Elderberry Fairy, The Blackberry Fairy and more!

Each fairy has their very own poem, that really captures the magic of each season. Classic. Wonderful.

7. Pippa and Pelle in the Autumn Wind

by Daniela Drescher

The Pippa and Pelle book series are all so beautifully illustrated, and sweet!

This autumn wind story is no exception! It’s full of the magical fun you’ll find on those autumnal days!

8. Children of the Forest

by Elsa Beskow

Another classic by Beskow.

In this sweet tale you’ll follow the children of the forest, who play with the forest animals, and start to prepare for winter!

9. A Seed is Sleepy

by Dianna Aston

If you’re a fan of the Exploring Nature with Children curriculum, you’re probably already a fan of this lovely set of books!

In a seed is sleepy, you follow the various ways that seeds travel, and lots of other seed facts, but in a very child friendly way!

10. The Roll Away Pumpkin

by Junia Wonders

A beautifully illustrated story of a girl who’s pumpkin rolls away from here! Oh no!!

A really fun story for the kids to get involved with, as they think it’s funny to see who is going to try and help, and whether they’ll manage to stop the pumpkin!

11. How Big Could Your Pumpkin Grow?

by Wendell Minor

In this book by Wendell, illustrations are used to discuss different sizes!

A clever way to include a little bit of Autumn in your mathematics!

12. Pumpkin Soup

by Helen Cooper

‘Cat, Duck and Squirrel live in an old white cabin, with a pumpkin patch in the garden. Every day Cat slices up some pumpkin, Squirrel stirs in some water and Duck tips in some salt to make perfect pumpkin soup… until the day Duck wants to do the stirring…

A funny, rhythmical story about friendship and sharing, with fabulous animal characters, illustrated in glowing autumnal colours.’

13. Autumn is Here!

by Heidi Pross Gray

A sweet look at how things start to change as autumn arrives!

14. The Very Helpful Hedgehog

by Rosie Wellesley

The story of a hedgehog discovering that sometimes, having a friend and sharing the load can make things much better!

15. Wild Child

by Lynn Plourde

In this (relevant for most parents!) book, Autumn is the ‘wild child’ who will do anything in order to avoid going to bed!

If you know, you know! Haha!

16. Fletcher and the Falling Leaves

by Julia Rawlinson

This is definitely for the younger children!

In this story Fletcher worries about the leaves falling off of his favourite tree! What’s happening?!

A sweet story to explain autumnal changes to little ones.

17. Fall Leaves

by Loretta Holland

So, although presented as a story book, this book is a stunningly presented non fiction type book about the science behind the seasonal changes!

18. The Story of the Wind Children

by Sibylle von Olfers

The wind child makes life so exciting! She blows boats and dandelions, and even the apples from the trees!

Follow along for a magical, windy adventure!

19. Because of an Acorn

by Lola M. Schaefer

Oh this is such a simple but lovely book about how one, small seed (acorn), can have a knock on effect…

Because of an acorn, a tree grows! Because there’s a tree… a bird has a home! Follow the cycle.

20. Thanking the Moon

by Grace Lin

So the author of Ridley’s favourite book ‘a big mooncake for little Star’, wrote this lovely story about the celebration of the Mid-Autumn moon festival, which is a very special festival to Chinese people.

It includes many of the traditions.

21. Red Leaf, Yellow Leaf

by Lois Ehlert

Another book full of bright, autumnal colour, by Ehlert.

This story is all about the life cycle of a tree!

22. Hello, Harvest Moon

by Ralph Fletcher

‘While tired farmers and their families are in bed, the harvest moon silently climbs into the sky and starts working its magic. For some, it is the nightly signal to rise and shine. It is time to hunt, to work, or to play in the shadows.
For a little girl and her cat, it is an invitation to enjoy the wonders of the night and a last flood of light before the short days of winter set in.’

23. Apples and Pumpkins

by Anne Rockwell

The story of a girl spending a lovely, autumn day picking apples and pumpkins!

‘A young girl spends a glorious fall day picking apples and searching for the perfect pumpkin in this refreshed classic. 

“When red and yellow leaves are on the trees,” a little girl goes with her parents to a farm where they pick apples and choose “the best pumpkin of them all.” Back home, she helps to carve a grinning jack-o’-lantern face on the big orange pumpkin, which guards their doorstep on halloween night while her mother hands out shiny red apples and she and her father go trick-or-treating with the neighborhood ghosts and goblins. 

Bold, autumn-colored paintings and a simple but lively story capture a little girl’s joy and satisfaction as she shares in the excitement of the fall season.’

24. Fall Mixed Up

by Bob Raczka

This book is a really funny, mixed up story, and as you move through your kids are going to be shouting ‘WAIT! THAT’S NOT RIGHT!!’.

We love books in this house that really get everyone involved, and this is definitely one of them!

25. The Little Yellow Leaf

by Carin Berger

The Little Yellow Leaf is a really child friendly way of discussing that feeling of not being ready, even when other people are, and also the fear of the unknown.

26. Leaf Jumpers

by Carole Gerber

‘This vibrant poem celebrates the beauty of autumn while inviting us all to go ahead and jump in that big, colorful, pile of fall leaves.’

27. Too Many Pumpkins

by Linda White

‘Rebecca Estelle has hated pumpkins ever since she was a girl when pumpkins were often the only food her family had. When an enormous pumpkin falls off a truck and smashes in her yard, she shovels dirt over the pieces and forgets about them. But those slimy pumpkin smithereens sprout up in autumn, and Rebecca Estelle finds a sea of pumpkins in her garden. 

A heartwarming classic for more than twenty years, this story shows what happens when one thrifty gardener figures out how to make other people happy with the squash she can’t stomach.’

28. Out and About Poems

by Shirley Hughes

Not necessarily just an Autumn book, more all seasons, but this ‘first poems’ style book by Hughes is such a lovely one to keep on your seasonal book rotation.

29. Brambly Hedge | Autumn Story

by Jill Barklem

I can’t believe I almost forgot this one!

The Brambly Hedge stories are some of our all time favourites, as they always celebrate the seasonal changes within the stories!

30. Autumn (Thinking About the Seasons)

by Clare Collinson

‘Explore all the different things that make us think about Autumn – from the weather to tastes and sounds. The friendly text, suitable for children aged 5+, includes seasonal poems and is illustrated with beautiful large photographs and works of art. It is perfect for a seasonal topic in an early years, or key stage 1 setting. Question panels encourage readers to relate the ideas in the book to their own experiences of Autumn. Teacher’s notes and activities help you make the most of the book.

Is is part of a series ‘Thinking about the seasons’.’