5 Best Picture Books that Celebrate Fall

Little Tree, by Loren Long
The anthropomorphic Little Tree’s fight song could well be Elsa’s big number from Frozen. “Let it go, let it goooo.” Of course, “it” in Little Tree’s case is his foliage. In this brand-new fable for fall, there’s one little tree who is afraid to let go of his leaves. He’s surrounded by other saplings his size who all dutifully drop their leaves as the season progresses—all except for Little Tree, that is. “Little Tree was unsure. What would he do without his leaves?” He clutches his wilted brown leaves tightly season after season for years as the other trees grow around him. And then one day, he finds a way to let go. Long’s autumnal story is a sweet, beautiful, and even somewhat sorrowful tale about growing up and moving forward into the great unknown.

Leaves, by David Ezra Stein
“Are you okay?” a surprised young bear asks the first leaf as it falls to the ground. It’s the little bear’s first year on the tiny island, and everything is brand-new, including the concept of the trees shedding their leaves in the fall. At first he runs around trying to reattach the leaves to the trees, but then he grows sleepy and makes himself a leafy bed in a hole to hibernate for the winter. When he wakes, there are new little leaf buds on the trees to welcome him. With a spartan narrative and illustrations, Stein tells a lovely story that makes for an excellent teaching tool about the changing seasons.

There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed Some Leaves!, by Lucille Colandro
By the time fall is in full swing, anyone with a yard covered in leaves might just be wishing for this weird old woman with a penchant for eating fall foliage to come on over. While you’re caught up in your fantasy of getting out of yard work, though, your kids will be eating up this silly story about a nutty old lady who swallows all manner of items—leaves, a pole, a pumpkin, pants, and more. And when she finally sneezes at the end, readers get a fun fall surprise—a scarecrow! You may want to warn the kids not to try this at home, though.

Leaf Man, by Lois Ehlert
Feeling crafty? Step away from the Pinterest board and pick up Lois Ehlert’s Leaf Man, which will likely inspire nature-loving kids to recreate the titular character who’s made from actual leaves in the book. There’s also a leaf squirrel, leaf chickens, leaf fish, and more set against textured paper backgrounds with die-cut edges. This simple but visually compelling story follows the Leaf Man, who is on the move. After all, “A Leaf Man’s got to go where the wind blows.” But where exactly does it blow him? The narrator comes up with a whole host of possibilities to delight readers. And at the end, the author even identifies the leaves pictured in the story.

The Little Yellow Leaf, by Carin Berger
Like Little Tree, Little Yellow Leaf is afraid to let go in Carin Berger’s visually striking book, which is filled with complex collages made from notebook paper, newspaper, old catalogs, ticket stubs, and more. The story focuses on Little Yellow Leaf who continually thinks he’s just not ready to let go of his tree, even as leaves fall all around him and the season begins to shift to winter. He ultimately draws strength from a kindred spirit, Little Scarlet Leaf, who is still holding tightly to the tree on a branch up above. They finally decide to take the leap together in this charming tale of friendship and facing fears.
What’s your favorite fall picture book?