Autumnal Picture Books
The temperatures have cooled down, school has started, apples are in season, and the Jewish High Holidays are around the corner. It must be fall! Autumn means lots of different things to folks, and there are picture books to celebrate all of them. Here are some great choices about fall, from squash to Sukkot!
The King of Kindergarten by Derrick Barnes and Vanessa Brantley-Newton (2019)
This winning book approaches the first day of school with charm, humor, and good cheer. The king sees everything about kindergarten through a royal lens (bus=carriage, dragons are battled during recess). The illustrations echo the buoyant feel of the text with a motif of a sun as crown throughout.
If I Built a School by Chris Van Dusen (2019)
Van Dusen always cracks me up, from his picture books to the illustrations for Kate DiCamillo’s Mercy Watson series. Here, an ambitious youngster imagines how he would design his ideal school. His ideas are fantastic and funny, including a zoo in the lobby, hover desks, and inner tubing at recess.
Sophie’s Squash (2013) and Sophie’s Squash Go to School (2016) by Pat Zietlow Miller and Anne Wilsdorf
When my kid was little, my mom gave us a copy of Sophie’s Squash. The book, about a girl who befriends a butternut squash from the farmer’s market, is delightful. But I suspect my mom chose the book because Sophie names her squash Bernice, which was my grandmother’s name! In both books about Sophie and her vegetables, the girl is true to herself and her squash, even when others don’t quite understand.
Leaves by David Ezra Stein (2007)
Nothing says fall to me like the crunch of leaves beneath my feet. But what if you didn’t know that the leaves were supposed to fall? The bear in Stein’s book is unsettled when the seasons change. After hibernating, he is delighted to find that the leaves have returned to the trees.
Fletcher and the Falling Leaves by Julia Rawlinson and Tiphanie Beeke (2006)
Fletcher the fox is another animal uncertain about the changing seasons. He is frustrated by other animals who take the fallen leaves away instead of returning them to the trees. Not even Fletcher’s steadfast love for his tree can stop the winter from coming, but he finds that winter has delights to offer too.
Sadie’s Sukkah Breakfast by Jamie Korngold and Julie Fortenberry (2011)
Our family received a copy of this book through PJ Library. I loved it because the kid characters make their own breakfast, allowing the parents to sleep in. Looking at my toddler, I dreamed of the day that would happen to me. (Still waiting…) I also loved the gentle story about Sukkot and how the sukkah makes every meal special.
We Give Thanks by Cynthia Rylant and Sergio Ruzzier (2021)
Before we know it, it’ll be Thanksgiving! Though this book doesn’t mention the holiday directly, it would be a great book to read in preparation for the event or any time you want to talk about gratitude and togetherness. The rhyming text takes us through a list of all the things we are thankful for.