The Big List of Autumn Picture Books

This cumulative story begins with the apples, juicy and red, and it ends with pie of course. I love this one. 

This gorgeous rhyming book about Johnny Appleseed is one of my very favorites. The illustrations are stunning. 

This is a brand new book and we just added it to our collection. It's illustrated by the Fan Brothers, so I knew it was going to be wonderful. It's a beautiful story about a friendship between an old scarecrow and a small, scared crow that needs help.

An old woman wants an apple cake, but she has no apples. She does, however, have plums so she sets out with a basket of plums determined to come back home with apples. It's beautiful. 

We have this in boardbook format and it's been a favorite since my kids were just babies. It's bear's first autumn and he's so sad when the leaves start falling off the trees. He even tries to reattach them, but to no avail.

If you don't already know about this charming Swedish author/artist, Elsa Beskow, you're in for a treat. I can get lost in these illustrations for hours. 

Another from Elsa Beskow because I adore her work. In this one, Christopher meets the spirit of September and is introduced to all the little harvest folk.

Three animal friends love to make Pumpkin Soup together and they all have their own task. So, when duck decides that he wants to change tasks and take over the stirring, trouble ensues. (Make a batch of my 3 Ingredient Pumpkin Soupwhen you read this one!) 

This wordless book is the best! When a little bird awakens to find that all of his friends have flown south without him, Mooch the cat helps him find his way. 

This is a beloved favorite from my own childhood. Two mice are growing the biggest pumpkin ever, but what they don't realize is that they are growing the same pumpkin. 

Follow an apple tree through all the seasons. And then there's pie at the end, of course. 

Fletcher is so worried when the leaves fall from his favorite tree. But don't worry, Fletcher is going to find out all about Autumn. 

This book takes you through the changing seasons on a New England farm and it's one of my favorite books on this list. Barbara Cooney's illustrations are my favorite. 

The moon rises every night, but the harvest moon is something special. This book always gives me all the best fall feelings. 

A book full of photographs and text that take you through the entire life cycle of a pumpkin. So fascinating! 

A colorful look at an autumnal equinox as all the leaf people emerge to celebrate by the light of the harvest moon. This one is full of imagination. 

This is a fantastic large format photographic picture book from National Geographic all about trees and the changing seasons. 

All the other leaves on the tree are drifting away, but little yellow leaf just isn't quite ready. She keeps hanging on, not quite ready to take that leap . . . until she is. 

My favorite thing about Autumn is the apples. This book follows Annie through the picking, counting, sorting, and then the baking - my favorite part! 

This is an excellent non-fiction picture book to explain the science behind why leaves change color in the fall. Clear and simple text, with lot's of illustrations.

Mr. Tiffin is the teacher we all want for our kids. In his classroom, he teaches lessons kids are sure to remember. So when the kids come in one morning and find three bright orange pumpkins of Mr. Tiffin's desk, you know it's going to be a fun day of learning. 

Steven Schnur has written one of these books for every season and they're all gorgeous, with beautiful illustrations and simple acrostic poems. 

For some people, fall isn't just about leaves and pumpkins. It's also about football outside in the crisp fall air, and football games on TV with a cozy blanket. The illustrations could not be cuter either. 

I love this one! This was a new addition to our fall basket last year and it captures everything I love about the season. My kids love the bright, colorful illustrations.

A wonderful book from Margaret Wise Brown about a young scarecrow learning all the scarecrow skills from his father.

I love April Sayers' gorgeous photography picture books and this one, full of fall leaves and colors, is absolutely stunning. 

Take a walk through the woods as late Summer turns to Autumn. With simple text and beautiful illustrations, this book is a real treasure. One of my favorites!

The illustrations in this one are stellar! Plus I'm partial to "yellow time" in fall because of all the cottonwoods we have here. For me, Autumn is Yellow. You'll love this one.

This one is really a book about dealing with big emotions, but the Autumn inspired illustrations mean we keep it in our fall book basket. The story though is WONDERFUL and very helpful for talking about emotions with kids.

Have you ever wondered what the world looks like through the eyes of a scarecrow? Turns out, it's a pretty extraordinary place! Cynthia Rylant is a master story teller.

I love all of Wendy Pfeffer's season books. They are the first books we pull out at the beginning of the new season. Find out everything you ever wanted to know about the Autumn Season in this fantastic non-fiction picture book.

This book walks you through facts about trees, but it's not boring. I love the collage illustrations in this one too.

This beautiful book can be read as both a poem and an informational text. I love the whole design of the book, and the illustrations by Elly MacKay are stunning.

Leaf Man may look like just a pile of leaves, but he's about to head out on a wonderful Autumn adventure.

Because of an acorn, a tree grows, and because of a tree, a bird has a place to build a nest. This is a fun book to explore the connections in an ecosystem.

This interactive picture book is completely charming. Bunny needs help picking apples, and little readers will love helping.

Lawrence's school teacher wants everyone to present something they collect at a classroom show-and-tell. Lawrence isn't sure what to collect, but when he heads into an Autumn forest with his dad, he finds just the thing. Great story!

This is a beautifully illustrated story about a young girl who goes to her favorite place in the forest everyday to watch the animals. Watch with her as Autumn slowly turns to Winter.

Making applesauce is one of our favorite Autumn traditions, so we had to include an applesauce book on this list. This book captures the whole process so well!

This book captures Autumn in November so well. The air is getting colder, the animals are getting quieter, and the people are gathering to give thanks.

This is a must-read classic! Rebecca Estelle hates pumpkins, so when a pumpkin falls off a truck and smashes in her yard, she quickly buries it and forgets all about it. But when Autumn rolls around, Rebecca finds she has too many pumpkins! What can she do?

This fun rhyming book is one tree's story about why Fall is the most difficult season of all.

All the trees are dropping their leaves, but one little tree just wants to hang on to all his leaves. This is a tender look at the challenges of letting go.

I love Jane Yolen. In this one, a silly scarecrow leaves his post because he'd rather dance on an Autumn night. But when he happens upon a young boy praying a special prayer for the corn harvest, he knows he needs to get back to work.

Old Man Fookwire is tired of the squirrels and their mischief. But he has a plan! Unfortunately those darn squirrels have a plan too.

We often see pumpkins being turned into Jack-o-Lanterns for Halloween, but do you ever think about what happens to the pumpkin after it's all over? This is a fantastic book.

I love all of Gail Gibbon's books. No one writes a non-fiction picture book better than her! And this one has everything you ever wanted to know about pumpkins.

I can't write a picture book list without including a book by Tomie de Paola! In this one, four animal friends gather to celebrate the Autumn season with a big feast. but Mistress Pig is taking so long in the kitchen. You'll be surprised when you see what happened to dinner!

This one isn't specific to fall, but for some reason it feels like a book that should be read in the Autumn. This version from Cynthia Rylant and Jen Corace is my favorite.

This is another memorable book from my childhood. Every autumn, just before winter arrives, a bear shows up in the same place in the woods behind a family farm.

A fantastic book from one of my favorite author-illustrator duos. It's almost winter and bear is getting sleepy, but first, he has a story to tell. You'll love it.