Fall has arrived: the equinox has passed, the weather has cooled off, days are getting shorter, leaves are changing, and pumpkins can be seen everywhere. Every day is a good day to read with a child, and I think changing seasons are a fun time to read books that focus on what children may experience with these shifts in temperature.
How the Forest Feels: Sensory Play Nature’s Way, opens a new window by Wendi Silvano, illustrated by Mirka Hokkanen
A child and his grandfather explore the autumn forest with all their senses. They crunch through crinkly and crispy leaves, feel the fuzzy and fluffy tips of plants in the meadow, and accidentally poke themselves on spiky pine cone edges. With rhyming text and beautifully descriptive words, there are many reasons to make this a top choice for a fall read.
Hungry Bunny, opens a new window by Claudia Rueda
Interactive picture books delight children, and the story and design of this book make it a great addition to the interactive picture book category. Bunny is hungry and is off to find some apples, pulling a wagon to carry them home. When the apple tree is found, Bunny asks the reader to shake the book to help the apples fall down. When Bunny’s scarf gets blown into the tree, Bunny asks the reader to help pull it down. When Bunny is struggling to pull the loaded wagon, Bunny asks the reader to tilt the book so the wagon is easier to pull. This is an engaging and charming story, and the reading pleasure is heightened by the invitations for the reader to become part of the story.
The Leaf Thief, opens a new window by Alice Hemming, illustrated by Nicola Slater
Squirrel is enjoying a rest, lying back and admiring the beautiful colors of the fall leaves. Suddenly, Squirrel realizes a leaf is missing! Squirrel goes into hysterics, accusing all the forest friends of stealing a leaf. Bird gently reminds Squirrel that leaves fall to the ground at this time of year, and no one has stolen a leaf. Squirrel tries to relax, but almost every minute another leaf goes missing. Finally, an exasperated Bird shows Squirrel that the wind is the leaf thief, blowing leaves around in the trees and on the ground.
The Little Kitten, opens a new window by Nicola Killen
Dressed in a cat costume, Ollie and her cat, Pumpkin, are playing outside in the fall leaves when they discover a kitten in a pile of leaves. As the three play together, the kitten and Ollie wind up chasing each other down a trail into the woods. When Ollie realizes she doesn’t know where she is, that Pumpkin is not with them, and that it is getting darker, Ollie gets scared. But soon Pumpkin emerges with a rustle of leaves and leads Ollie home. The illustrations in this picture book use a mostly gray scale color palette with bursts of autumnal orange, conveying a feeling of fall in every page.
If You Find A Leaf, opens a new window by Aimée Sicuro
A little girl lets her imagination carry her away, thinking of creative uses for fall leaves. If she were tiny, a leaf could be a hat or a hammock, a parachute, or the sail on a ship. Different-shaped leaves inspire different uses: a spiky maple leaf could make a crown, flared ginkgo leaves could make a skirt. This picture book’s soft illustrations match well with the dreamy quality of the story, to carry the reader on the imaginative journey the little girl’s mind takes.
A Very Big Fall, opens a new window by Emmy Kastner
As the air gets colder and the wind blows more briskly, the leaves know something is changing. Birch leaf loves the changes and anticipated adventure. Oak wants things to stay just as they are, and Maple is simply in denial. When the leaves start changing color, Birch and Oak are overjoyed at the lovely shades they turn. This makes Maple start to pay more attention, especially to the fact that she isn’t changing color at all. Maple gets jealous when her friends start falling to the ground, and she is left behind in her tree. When Maple finally does fall, she joins her friend,s and they discover many new things: gutters, rakes, and a child who picks them up and includes them in her artwork.
Darcie Caswell is Director of Youth Services at CRRL. This column originally appeared in The Free Lance-Star newspaper.
