11 Autumn Children’s Books Your Bookshelf Needs

We have many loyal wooden shelves groaning under the weight of hundreds of books throughout our home, but these are the Autumn Children’s Books that I would be running to the bookshop to repurchase if our copies were lost.

Hot chocolate, golden leaves, flushed cheeks under knit hats – there is no better way to fall in love with reading than with Autumn Children’s Books.

 

There is just something about coming home from a blustery walk with the kids, kicking off the wellies (with, let’s face it, varying degrees of success) grabbing a blanket, mugs of something warm (preferably with marshmallows… and cream… and more marshmallows *pop some under the cream as well, they melt into delicious goo*) and a big ol’ pile of books.

Everything about Autumn makes me want to dive into the colder months with both sock-clad feet, so watching my kids fall in love with sweetly illustrated pages of seasonal adventures makes my heart ache in the best possible way.

This post will have your children’s reading corner full to the brim with pages of the magic, beauty and splendid discovery of Autumn through Autumn Children’s Books.

*With a few Halloween-y ones thrown in for good measure

Best Autumn Children’s Books:

1. Little Goose’s Autumn – Ellie Woollard

After a summer of fun the leaves start to brown and there is a promise of cold in the air. All of the animals begin preparing for the turn of the season, but Little Goose in not sure of her place among the animals. Should she be biting through trees to make a home, like the beavers? Or digging holes in the ground, like the squirrels? She has a feeling that she has something important to do, but just isn’t sure what. A story of finding a sense of belonging, this book is a true celebration of words to match the beauty of the pages featuring the work of our favourite illustrator, Briony May Smith.

2. Fletcher and the Falling Leaves – Julia Rawlinson

A sweet book about Fletcher, a little fox who notices that his favourite tree is changing as Autumn appears. He worries the tree is sick, so tries to collect up the leaves and stick them back onto the bare branches, while other animals attempt to ‘steal’ them for their nests. This is a lovely story for helping children to understand that the outside world doesn’t die in the chilly months. The caring nature of Fletcher is so heartwarming, captured perfectly in soft pastel illustrations by Tiphanie Beeke.

3. The Little Ghost Who Was A Quilt – Riel Nason

A favourite all year round in our house, though it definitely holds a more prominent place on the bookshelf in October! There was once a little ghost, who, for reasons unknown to him, was born a heavy patchwork quilt. Despite having an ancestor who was a checkered tablecloth, and another who was an elegant lace curtain, the little ghost feels out of place – unable to fly with his sheet friends. However, when Halloween rolls around The Little Ghost Who Was A Quilt is picked up by mother trying to keep her daughter warm while out trick-or-treating. A wonderful book about appreciating others (and ourselves) for our differences, this book has so much soul brought to it by Byron Eggenschwiler’s illustrations.

 

4. Autumn – Gerda Muller

A picture boardbook of no words, this book gives me pangs of nostalgia as I remember it from my own childhood. Leading through the season, the pictures encourage children to use their own words and imagination. From depictions of orchard scenes where kids play in puddles with boats they have made themselves, soggy walks in wellington boots, hedgehogs hibernating, golden leaf crafting and contentedly baking, this is a favourite of my three-year-old’s, not just his little sister who tends to commandeer the board books! Whenever the weather is leaving us feeling a little reluctant to venture out, this book never fails to inspire us to find joy in simple pleasures.

 

5. The Squirrels Who Squabbled – Rachel Bright

I’m always inwardly delighted when the children pick this one for bedtime – it’s a satisfying read with rhyming text that rolls off the tongue! Spontaneous Cyril is a squirrel who lives for the moment, so after partying his way through the summer he’s alarmed to realise that he has no food stores for the winter. In contrast, Plan-Ahead Bruce (possibly the most fantastic name ever given to a squirrel, in my humble opinion) has worked hard to create a carefully curated selection of foods to see him through until spring. Then they both lay eyes on a lone pine cone, which contains the last nuts of the season. A tale of friendship and sharing, the kids find this one hilarious when performed with the appropriate theatrics, and I enjoy the pages bursting with Jim Field’s glorious artwork – a must for any bookshelf of Children’s Autumn Books

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6. Sweep – Louise Greig

A marvelous book for teaching little humans about big feelings and the importance of choice. Ed is a boy who is in a very bad mood, who sweeps crunchy leaves into a pile that just keeps growing… and growing… and GROWING. The symbolic sweeping representing Ed indulging his negative emotions rather than taking a deep breath and looking at the impact his actions have on the world around him is an excellent conversation starter for children ranging from toddlers well into the first few years of school.The illustrations by Julia Sarda are gloriously autumnal and support the story perfectly, while still adding silly enough elements to make a serious subject into an enjoyable story book.

 

 

7.  Brambly Hedge, Autumn Story – Jill Barklem

A true classic that I hope to one day share with my grandchildren, as I have with my children. Part of an old-fashioned series of tales, this follows Primrose the mouse as the mice of Brambly Hedge prepare for Autumn Harvest. We actually own several editions of the full Brambly Hedge collection as they are just such detailed and beautiful books, so each of our children have their own. If you are a lover of Beatrix Potter then I have no doubt you will appreciate how special this book is!

8. Storm – Sam Usher

This is a lovely book of few words for getting excited about Autumn weather. The boy in the story awakens to find his window being rattled by the wind – and his first thought is that he simply can’t wait to get outside! He suggests to his Grampa that they could go outside to kick up the leaves and they decide to hunt down their kite. As they search, they find several items that bring back fond memories of times they have shared. I really enjoy that this book focuses on a grandparent relationship – I think it’s important that children see the village around them. The illustrations dance off the page with a Quentin Blake feel that have the children pouring over them for far longer than the story itself lasts.

9. Angelina Ballerina’s Halloween – Katharine Holabird

Another series of books that send a wave of nostalgia over me. The moment I flick through the pages of Helen Craig’s soft, sweet illustrations detailing the world of these little mice, I fall in love with every inch of them all over again. In this story, Angelina is going trick-or-treating with her friends and little sister, Polly. As I imagine is the case with most sisters, Angelina grows irritated by Polly’s attempts to imitate her costume. A charming tale of the bond between siblings, these make enchanting and inexpensive presents as well as being a beautiful addition to bookcases at home – the illustrations are nothing short of stunning.

10. How To Make Friends With A Ghost – Rebecca Green

This was a new addition to our home-library a couple of years ago and was a hit with the toddlers and then-nine year old to boot! Written as a step-by-step how-to guide, it’s essentially an instruction manual for how to make friends with a ghost. I mean… why wouldn’t you? It details how to meet your future ghostly friend, how you should behave around them, activities you could do together… it’s quite tongue-in-cheek at times and a book I was pleasantly surprised by, I really appreciate when children’s books are written for the parents too! Rebecca Green’s illustrations are very sweet and to be honest I would buy this one for my coffee table even if I didn’t have children. It’s spooktacular (Sorry. Not sorry.)

11. Gustavo The Shy Ghost – Flavia Z Drago

Gustavo is a violin playing ghost. While he finds some things come naturally to him (ghostly things, such as floating through walls, the playing of string instruments, and making objects fly) other things, like making friends, certainly don’t. Gustavo is shy. One day, he plucks up the courage to invite the local monsters to his violin performance. I love the vulnerability of this story – the courage he shows is a beautiful message to little ones that small acts of bravery can make a big difference. The illustrations are superb and if you add this to your collection I really would recommend getting the hardback addition as it’s something quite special.

 

I hope this has given you a little inspiration for your seasonal bookcases – autumn is very much my favourite season so our copies are well loved. Do let me know if you have any treasures I’ve missed… I do love an excuse to add to our collection!

 

Love, Helen x

 

Disclosure – some links within this post may be affiliate links. This means that if you purchase through the links, I earn a small commission though this does not affect the price you pay. As always, I appreciate your support and hope you fall in love with these books whether you choose to purchase from here or elsewhere.