Perfect Picture Books for Your Favorite Fall Outings
The air is crisp, the leaves are crunchy, and the apples are ripe for the picking — fall has arrived in all its pumpkin-spiced glory! After you’ve enjoyed hayrides, corn mazes, and cider donuts with your kiddos, there’s nothing better than collapsing on the couch with a good book.
That’s where this list comes in. Whether you’ve conquered a pumpkin patch, hiked through the woods, or explored a haunted house, here are the best picture books to keep the fall magic going after you’ve wiped the mud from your boots.
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1
Add to BookshelfIt’s Corn Picking Time!
by Jill Esbaum
Read when you’re going to visit a corn maze.
This is the farmer, whose happy heart leaps at the sight of those first golden, glorious heaps!
At dawn, a farmer climbs aboard her bright red combine and gets ready to harvest corn. Readers follow along as she fells the stalks, discards the chaff, fills the grain wagons, and performs many other tasks that will intrigue those curious about farm life. With bouncy rhymes, fun onomatopoeia, and back matter full of harvest information, this brightly illustrated read-aloud gives young readers a peek into the corn-picking process.
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$18.99Buy from Other Retailers:
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2
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Pick a Pumpkin
by Patricia Toht
Read when you’re going pumpkin picking.
Pick a pumpkin from the patch. Tall and lean or short and fat. Vivid orange, ghostly white, or speckled green, might be just right.
Patricia Holt’s second installment in the Pick A Celebration series does not disappoint. Follow a family through their pumpkin carving tradition, from picking to scooping to placing it on the front porch for trick-or-treaters to admire. This fast-paced and rhythmic read-aloud is perfect for the pumpkin-picking season.
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$7.99Buy from Other Retailers:
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3
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Ghouldilocks and the Three Ghosts
by Annie Sullivan
Read when you’re going to a haunted house or hay ride.
This adorable picture book puts a spooky spin on the classic tale. Ghoudilocks’s tangled, bone-adorned hair bounces as she steps inside an empty haunted mansion. Inside, she finds three bowls of ghoulosh, three chairs, and three beds of varying sizes. When the friendly ghosts return, instead of ousting Ghoudilocks, they befriend her and celebrate Halloween together. Silly jokes, funny thought bubbles, and cartoon-style art make this book a laugh-out-loud Halloween-themed read.
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4
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The Crayons Trick or Treat
by Drew Daywalt
Read when you’re going trick-or-treating.
Your favorite group of waxy friends get dressed up and hilariously navigate their first trick-or-treat adventure. With costumes and treat bags ready, the Crayons go door-to-door, but aren’t sure what to say after they knock. Is it “Give us your candy, lady?” or “Boo?” How about “Merry Christmas?” This simple and funny read-aloud is perfect for Halloween-themed storytimes.
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$9.99Buy from Other Retailers:
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5
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Pumpkin Spice
by Arie Kaplan
Read when you’re going pumpkin picking.
A little girl named Pumpkin Spice believes she needs to literally paint the leaves red, yellow, and orange for the fall season. Thankfully, a talking pumpkin explains why the leaves change colors and takes her through a wonderful sensory autumn experience. This board book features a pumpkin spice recipe in the back, which will delight both toddlers and adults.
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6
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How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World
by Marjorie Priceman
Read when you’re going apple picking.
An apple pie is easy to make unless the market is closed. Then, you must take a boat to Italy for wheat, travel to England for fresh milk, and head to Vermont to pick apples. This read-aloud classic has charmed readers at apple-themed storytimes for over two decades.
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$8.99Buy from Other Retailers:
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7
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If You Find a Leaf
by Aimée Sicuro
Read when you’re jumping in piles of leaves.
What do you see when you look at an autumn leaf? Do you see a boat, a hat, a swing, or a hot air balloon? A young artist ponders ways to save the leaves they find and encourages readers to do the same. Using real items in the illustrations, Aimée Sicuro’s If You Find a Treasure series is an absolute gem for young readers. With its helpful instructions in the back of the book, it is sure to inspire a post-read-aloud art project.
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$18.99Buy from Other Retailers:
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8
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The Wilderness
by Steve McCarthy
Read when you’re going on a hike.
A young boy named Oktober only wants the sort of adventure he can experience while sitting under a blanket with his nose buried in the pages of a book. He is much too afraid of a monster called the Wilderness to venture outside. One day, on a family hike, Oktober gets lost and comes face-to-face with what he fears the most. Drenched in fall colors, this cleverly illustrated tale about a boy finding courage and strength in the great outdoors will delight young readers this season.
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$17.99Buy from Other Retailers:
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9
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Amara’s Farm
by JaNay Brown-Wood
Read when you’re going pumpkin picking.
Amara is hosting a family potluck and needs your help finding a pumpkin. Young readers will love following Amara as she compares, contrasts, and uses visual clues to search for a pumpkin among the many fruits and vegetables on her farm. Bright, adorable illustrations and interactive text make this book a fun read-aloud. If you enjoy this book, check out the rest of the Where In the Garden? series.
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$8.99Buy from Other Retailers:
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10
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Apple Picking Day!
by Candice Ransom
Read when you’re going apple picking.
Step 1 Readers are ideal for 4- to 6-year-olds who are familiar with alphabet sounds and sight words and are working toward reading independently. They feature large type and easy words, along with rhythmic text and picture clues to help children decode stories. In this colorfully illustrated book, we follow two siblings as they experience a bright fall day in an apple orchard.
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$5.99Buy from Other Retailers:
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11
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There’s a Ghost In This House
by Oliver Jeffers
Read when you’re going to a haunted house or hay ride.
A little girl has never seen the ghosts that haunt her house. Are they white with holes for eyes? Do they have chains and haunt the halls? Are they in the chimneys? As she invites readers to help her search, the ghosts appear on the pages with the help of translucent paper. Praised for being captivating and unique, author-illustrator Oliver Jeffers charms ghost hunters of all ages in this quirky and interactive ghost story.
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$28.99Buy from Other Retailers:
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12
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Trick-or-Treating in the City
by Tiffany D. Jackson
Read when you’re going trick-or-treating.
When Mom has to work and Dad has to run his shop, Janelle wonders how to celebrate Halloween without trick-or-treating. Her neighbors and family share stories of unique traditions such as trick-or-treating in the halls of a 30-story apartment building, getting mini bagels instead of candy from shop owners, or staying home out of fear of real monsters. With this inspiration, Janelle finds a creative way to enjoy Halloween.
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$18.99Buy from Other Retailers:
