We live in Chicago, and we autumn is one of the most beautiful seasons here. The leaves change colors beautifully, and we are inspired to hold on to park weather for as long as we can. We were inspired this week to round up some of our favorite books about autumn leaves (and one more pumpkin book) to share. We have just 4, so comment your faves here! We would love to check them out.
In Fletcher and the Falling Leaves by Julia Rawlinson and Tiphanie Beeke, Fletcher notices leaves falling from his favorite tree and is worried something is wrong with the tree. He tries several ways to help the tree hold on to its leaves to no avail. He takes the last leaf home with him and tucks it in at night. When he wakes at dawn he goes to the tree to find it has been transformed by icicles in the night and is more beautiful than ever before.
Linda White and Megan Lloyd’s Too Many Pumpkins is a funny story about an older woman named Rebecca Estelle who vowed never to touch another pumpkin when she was a kid. One day a wagon overflowing with pumpkins drives past her house and a few fall off and into her lawn. She smashes them, buries them, and refuses to care for them. A few months later she is surprised to walk out her front door to tons and tons of pumpkins that have grown from the seeds of those she buried. She decides to get rid of them by creating delicious treats and fun jack-o-lanters for her neighbors, who all come to her house. Although this is more text-heavy than many of our current faves (I’ve got a 2.5 year old, so attention spans are short) but the reactions of Rebecca Estelle are over-the-top, which my kids love. There are many opportunities for making predictions with each response Rebecca Estelle has to the pumpkin seeds and vines in her yard. I personally love that the end teaches kids to turn situations they don’t love into opportunities to show kindness and create community.
Leaves by Ezra Stein simple and sweet. Similar to Fletcher in Fletcher and the Falling Leaves, a young bear is worried about the trees and leaves as he experiences his first autumn. When he is unable to keep the leaves on the trees, he gets sleepy, takes a bunch to a cave, and lies down to hibernate the winter away. When he wakes, it’s spring again, and the trees have new leaf buds. He is delighted! We love the simple text and the way Bear expresses his emotions in this story.
Red Leaf, Yellow Leaf is our first non-fiction feature! Lois Ehlert uses collage to describe how a tree came to be in the main character’s lawn- from seed to young tree, to the nursery where it grew strong, to the store where it was sold, and then to the main character’s yard. The collages show the tree at all stages of life, and also describes tree in each season. It was fun and informative and kept both my kids’ attention at the same time. WIN!