Autumn Stories

Illustration of young boy on tractor

From cozy tales to bilingual books the changing leaves, this booklist celebrates autumn! The selected titles feature a range diverse cultural backgrounds and languages. A number of bilingual non-fiction books are included that can be used for science lessons.

A Picnic in October

Illustrated by: Nancy Carpenter
Age Level: 6-9

Tony is not looking forward to his family's annual picnic at Liberty Island in October. Nevertheless, his grandmother insists that they maintain the tradition of celebrating her birthday with Lady Liberty. At first it doesn't seem like much fun — until Tony finally begins to understand why the Statue of Liberty means so much to his grandmother. Lovely colorful acrylic paintings bring this special tribute to life.

Babies in the Park: Autumn Babies

Illustrated by: Adela Pons
Age Level: 0-3

An endearing board book with adorable babies on the go during the fall season. Featuring diverse characters and highlighting early concepts like shapes and repetition, books in the Babies in the Park series encourage an appreciation of nature and outdoor imaginative play.

Behind the Mask

Age Level: 6-9
Language: English

Product Description: Halloween is coming. "What are you going to be?" the children ask one another. Kimin says he will be his grandfather. "Going as an old man is not very scary," They tease. What the children don't know is that Kimin's grandfather was a Korean mask dancer. And Kimin doesn't know that the mask holds a secret for him. With vibrant illustrations, Yangsook Choi joins Korean and American folk traditions in her story about a boy who finds a link to his grandfather, behind the mask.

Come and Learn With Me

Illustrated by: Tessa Macintosh
Age Level: 6-9

"Sheyenne is from a small Dene community in Trout Lake, North West Territories. Readers will learn about diverse activities during harvest time, such as preparing moose meat and the hide, making birch bark containers, gathering plant medicine, singing songs, and telling stories…Sheyenne leads an enjoyable journey as she shows readers her community of teachers — her family — while she learns about her language and culture." — CM Magazine (The Land Is Our Storybook)

Daniel Visits a Pumpkin Patch

Daniel Visits a Pumpkin Patch

Daniel Tiger is visiting a pumpkin patch with his family and friends. The best part is, Mom and Dad Tiger told him he could pick out a pumpkin to bring home. Once they get to the patch, there are so many pumpkins to choose from — some are very small and some are very large. Will Daniel find the perfect one?

Gathering the Sun: An Alphabet in Spanish and English

Young girl harvesting crops
Illustrated by: Simón Silva
Age Level: 3-6
Language: Spanish (Bilingual Eng/Sp)

Using the alphabet as a pattern, paintings and brief poems explore rural life in Mexico presented first in Spanish and followed by English. From A to Z, brilliant illustrations and fluid poems evoke the plants, and more and the emotional impact on the lives of farm workers. English translation by Rosa Zubizarreta.

In the Leaves

In the Leaves
Age Level: 3-6
Language: Chinese

Xiao Ming and his friends are spending an autumn day on a farm, and it is the perfect place for him to show his friends how draw different Chinese characters for words such as "grain" and "fire." The colorful, gentle illustrations, created by cut-paper collages, will appeal to young children. This book is one of a four-part series by the author about Chinese characters related to the different seasons.

It's Pumpkin Time!

By: Zoe Hall
Illustrated by: Shari Halpern
Age Level: 3-6

"When is the very best time to start getting ready for Halloween? In the spring, of course, when a tiny seed can have time to grow into a big fat pumpkin. Bright, bold, painted-paper collages capture the excitement of two children as they dig the soil, plant the seed, water, weed, and wait…On a final page, six simple illustrations and brief captions give an exceptionally clear explanation of how a pumpkin seed germinates." — School Library Journal

Lola Levine #6: Lola Levine and the Halloween Scream

Lola Levine in a Halloween costume
Age Level: 6-9

It's Halloween — Lola and Ben's favorite holiday. She loves pumpkins, scary costumes, monsters, and ghosts — and she likes to scare people, too. But when Lola plays a scary joke on her super best friends, Josh Blot and Bella Benitez, it doesn't go as planned. Can Lola learn from her mistake and still have a happy Halloween?

Los Gatos Black on Halloween

black cat in graveayrd
Illustrated by: Yuyi Morales
Age Level: 3-6, 6-9
Language: English, Spanish vocabulary featured

Follow los monstruos and los esqueletos to the Halloween party are throwing a in the Haunted Hall! Las brujas come on their broomsticks. Los muertos rise from their coffins to join in the fun. Los esqueletos rattle their bones as they dance through the door. And the scariest creatures of all aren't even there yet! Marisa Montes' poem and Yuyi Morales spooky (and sometimes scary!) Halloween illustrations provide a chilling, thrilling read in this award-winning book.

My Autumn Book

My Autumn Book
Age Level: 3-6

Crisp air and gray skies beckon a little girl to thoroughly investigate the outside world: chipmunks, squirrels, insects, and fallen leaves all hint that a change of season is coming. Young readers can explore the signs of autumn along with the adventurous child narrator in this charming conclusion to Wong Herbert Yee's series on the seasons (Tracks in the Snow, Who Likes Rain? and Summer Days and Nights).

Pumpkin (Life Cycle of...)

Age Level: 6-9
Language: Spanish

"These titles explain the life cycles of three plants in brightly illustrated narratives. From seed to seedling, vine, and finally full-grown fruit, the life cycle of the pumpkin is clearly and colorfully described. Bright and engaging full-color photographs amplify the text on each page." — School Library Journal

Rabbit and the Bears (Grandmother Stories)

Illustrated by: Murv Jacob
Age Level: 3-6

Product Description: Ji-Stu the Rabbit doesn't spend the beautiful autumn days gathering food for the winter like some of the animals. Instead he travels with his friend Yona the Bear to Mulberry Place, the magical high mountain homeland of the bears. On the way to the mountains the two friends encounter a hunter. Soon Ji-Stu witnesses the magic powers of Lake Ata-Gahi, which can heal the wounds of animals but is invisible to humans. As he sings and dances with the bears, Ji-Stu learns the magic of friendship as well as the magic of the lake.

Red Leaf, Yellow Leaf

Age Level: 6-9

"This very striking book examines the life of a sugar maple tree from the point of view of a young child. Each spread is a visual masterpiece; Ehlert has added elements of collage and watercolored paper that lend sophistication and diversity to her ever-evolving style.

Seasons: Fall

"What distinguishes these books from others on the same subjects are the vibrant, eye-catching photographs. The sentences are simple and repetitive: 'In fall we can…' as the books describe clothing, weather, and human and animal activities of the various seasons. Reading teachers will want to use this set for instructional purposes while early readers will feel successful mastering the text. Students will delight in the color photographs of animals and children enjoying the activities." — School Library Journal

The Busy Little Squirrel

Age Level: 3-6

The leaves have started to fall. The air is cold. Squirrel needs to get ready for winter. He cannot nibble with the mice. He does not have time to hop with the frogs or run with the dogs. Will this busy little squirrel ever slow down? Focusing on all the charming features of the fall season, this sweetly illustrated story features country animals, pumpkins, leaves, apples and other signs of autumn. Available in hardcover or board book edition.

Uncle Monarch and the Day of the Dead

Illustration of a young girl watching a butterfly fly past
Illustrated by: René King Moreno
Age Level: 6-9

Day after day, Lupita and Tío Urbano watch the Monarch butterflies arrive. Urbano says they are the souls of the dead ones arriving in time for Día de los muertos. When Urbano becomes sick and dies soon after, Lupita feels only sadness — until she sees the Monarchs and remembers Urbano's words. The beautiful story and illustrations bring the true meaning of this important celebration to life for readers young and old.

We're Going on a Leaf Hunt

Illustrated by: Miki Sakamoto
Age Level: 3-6

Join three friends on their big adventure hiking over a mountain and through a forest to collect leaves of all kinds and colors. What will they do with all their leaves at the end of the story? Jump and play in them, of course! With easy rhyming text and fun sound effects, children will delight in this rollicking autumn story.

Why Do Leaves Change Color? (Let's-Read-and-Find-Out Science, Stage 2)

Illustrated by: Loretta Krupinski
Age Level: 6-9

"This is an informative concept book that explains what happens to leaves in autumn as they change colors and then separate from the tree. Krupinski's bright gouache-and-colored pencil illustrations show a boy and a girl playing in a country landscape that changes with weather and light. There are also detailed pictures of leaves in different sizes, shapes, and colors. Maestro includes simple instructions for making a leaf rubbing and for pressing leaves, as well as suggestions for places to visit where the fall foliage is special." — Booklist