As the seasons change, our reading habits do too. Here are some books to help your students learn about fall, think about changing seasons, and prepare for a new school year.
Rosh Hashanah Is Coming!
- Interest Level: Preschool
- Reading Level: Preschool
Introduce young children to Jewish life with Very First Board Books.
Crack the eggs. Hear the sound?
Make this braided challah round.
Rosh Hashanah is coming.
This sweet board book celebrates the Jewish New Year, and is the fourth in Tracy Newman’s Jewish holiday series. As Kirkus said of Shabbat is Coming!, a previous book in this series, “. . . the bouncy verse and Garofoli’s richly colored, slightly three-dimensional cartoons against canvas-textured background provide a compelling introduction to the weekly celebration.”
Fall Is Fun!
From the Series Bumba Books® — Season Fun
- Interest Level: Preschool – Grade 1
- Reading Level: Kindergarten
Carefully leveled text and fresh, vibrant photos engage young readers in learning about the changes and adaptations fall brings. Age-appropriate critical thinking questions and a photo glossary help build nonfiction learning skills.
Amazing Autumn
From the Series Seasons
- Interest Level: Preschool
- Reading Level: Grade 1
The fall season can be truly amazing with colorful leaves in big soft piles, Halloween pumpkins and pumpkin pie. Oh my, what an Amazing Autumn.
Fall Colors
From the Series Seasons All Around Me (Pull Ahead Readers — Fiction)
- Interest Level: Preschool – Grade 1
- Reading Level: Kindergarten
Sam and his dog Maya look for the colors of fall. Pair this illustrated fiction story with its nonfiction company book, Fall Leaves.
Fall Leaves
From the Series Seasons All Around Me (Pull Ahead Readers — Nonfiction)
- Interest Level: Preschool – Grade 1
- Reading Level: Kindergarten
What happens in fall? Leaves change color, fall from the trees, and need raking. Pair this photo-driven nonfiction title with its illustrated fiction companion, Fall Colors.
Crayola® Fall Colors
From the Series Crayola® Seasons
- Interest Level: Preschool – Grade 3
- Reading Level: Grade 1
Falling leaves, round pumpkins, crisp apples—colors are everywhere in fall! Explore color in the world around you. What colors make you think of fall? What can you create with the colors of fall? Encourage readers to create fall-inspired art and discover the colors around them through bright photos and lively text.
Weather Clues in the Sky
Clouds
From the Series Bel the Weather Girl
- Interest Level: Preschool – Grade 3
- Reading Level: Grade 2
Look! The sky is getting cloudy. Does that mean light rain, a thunderstorm, or just an overcast day? Dylan hopes their soccer game won’t be rained out. Bel the Weather Girl helps her friends read the clues in the sky. Will it rain on game day? Stay tuned, because every day is another weather day!
Fall Mixed Up
- Interest Level: Preschool – Grade 3
- Reading Level: Grade 2
Fall is all mixed up in this silly book from Bob Raczka! Can you find his mistakes in the words and pictures?
Fall Apples
Crisp and Juicy
From the Series Cloverleaf Books™ — Fall’s Here!
- Interest Level: Kindergarten – Grade 2
- Reading Level: Grade 1
Let’s go to the apple orchard! Find out how apples grow. See the many things we do with apples. Taste some cider and apple pie. Yum! What happens in fall? Find out in the Fall’s Here! series, part of the Cloverleaf Books™ collection. These nonfiction picture books feature kid-friendly text and illustrations to make learning fun!
A Leaf Can Be . . .
From the Series Can Be . . . Books
- Interest Level: Kindergarten – Grade 2
- Reading Level: Grade 2
A leaf can be a…shade spiller, mouth filler, tree topper, rain stopper. Find out about the many roles leaves play in this poetic exploration of leaves throughout the year.
How Does Weather Change?
From the Series First Step Nonfiction — Let’s Watch the Weather
- Interest Level: Kindergarten – Grade 2
- Reading Level: Grade 1
Why is it sunny outside one day and rainy the next? Readers will learn the ins and outs of why weather changes in this book. Accessible text and appealing photos show changing weather conditions and encourage students to observe and think about the changing weather in their own environments.
Rotten Pumpkin
- Interest Level: Preschool – Grade 5
- Reading Level: Grade 3
In brilliant images and an easy-to-understand text, Schwartz and Kuhn tell the story of what happens to a Jack O’ Lantern after Halloween. Compost won’t mean the same thing after you’ve seen the amazing transformation of Jack from grinning pumpkin to mold-mottled wreckage to hopeful green shoot. Part story, part science, and a whole lot of fun.
Tractors Go to Work
From the Series Farm Machines at Work
- Interest Level: Kindergarten – Grade 3
- Reading Level: Grade 1
Tractors are in the spotlight in this title published jointly with New Holland Agriculture. Readers will learn what parts tractors have, how they work, and how farmers use these machines.
A Fall Ball for All
- Interest Level: Kindergarten – Grade 2
- Reading Level: Grade 2
On the verge of winter, the autumn wind issues an invitation: “Come one, come all to the annual windfall ball!” Join all the animals in this beautifully illustrated rhyming picture book as they gather for the autumn wind’s harvest in preparation for the long winter.
Lion of the Sky
Haiku for All Seasons
- Interest Level: Kindergarten – Grade 3
- Reading Level: Grade 2
you gasp as I roar,
my mane exploding, sizzling—
lion of the sky!
Haiku meet riddles in this wonderful collection from Laura Purdie Salas. The poems celebrate the seasons and describe everything from an earthworm to a baseball to an apple to snow angels, alongside full-color illustrations.
Snack, Snooze, Skedaddle
How Animals Get Ready for Winter
- Interest Level: Kindergarten – Grade 3
- Reading Level: Grade 2
There is more than one way for animals to prepare for winter. Some, such as mice, foxes, and moose, simply tolerate the cold. Of course black bears hibernate, but chipmunks, wood frogs, and garter snakes do too. And then there are the creatures that migrate, including hummingbirds, blue whales, and even earthworms! This rhyming nonfiction picture book by Laura Purdie Salas tells you all about how animals survive chilly weather.
Summer Green to Autumn Gold
Uncovering Leaves’ Hidden Colors
- Interest Level: Kindergarten – Grade 4
- Reading Level: Grade 3
Yellow and red, orange and brown—fall is full of color!
This nonfiction picture book, written and illustrated by Mia Posada, beautifully explains why leaves change color in fall. It highlights both the eye-catching colors of the season and the science behind the colors. Back matter offers additional scientific details for curious readers as well as suggested further reading and links to hands-on activities.
“A visually appealing and unusually informative picture book for curious kids.”—starred, Booklist
“[G]lorious art . . .”—starred, Kirkus Reviews
Fun with Nature Projects
Bubble Wands, Sunset in a Glass, and More
From the Series Unplug with Science Buddies®
- Interest Level: Grade 2 – Grade 5
- Reading Level: Grade 3
You can learn a lot about science by observing the natural world. And you don’t need fancy lab equipment, computer software, or other technology to do it! You can do experiments in nature or inspired by nature with some household items and a bit of curiosity. Helpful photos and step-by-step instructions guide readers through projects that introduce them to the science of nature. While making a volcano or a thermometer, readers will learn about light, temperature, and more.
A Walk in the Deciduous Forest, 2nd Edition
From the Series Biomes of North America Second Editions
- Interest Level: Grade 3 – Grade 6
- Reading Level: Grade 4
Take a walk in the deciduous forest. Sunlight filters through new green leaves. It’s early summer, and squirrels are chattering in the treetops. A warbler calls out. She’s building a nest in an oak tree. A fox crouches behind a stump. Will he find a fat mouse for his next meal? Or will he go searching for berries? Discover this critical forest habitat through narrative text, striking photos, and illustations.