Falling leaves, hoodies, apples and pumpkins? Yup, the season is fall! What a beautiful time of year! Fall is a big season because it is back-to-school season, which always brings a tremendous amount of change for our young students and us teachers, too! I remember summer always being so long when I was little and the start of school being such a huge deal. Just remember, fall is all about the changing leaves, pumpkins, scarecrows, and apple picking, but also back to school and a time to remember that change is sometimes a challenge. Grab some of my favorite fall read-alouds to jump into fall with an open mind and some great stories to share!
Fall Read-Alouds
Fall is one of my favorite seasons in New Jersey. It’s just so beautiful, and it’s just a special time for students and teachers. I absolutely love incorporating fall read-alouds into my curriculum. Not only to help my students learn. But to also enjoy some beautiful fall stories.
Fall Read-Aloud #1: Leaf Man by Lois Elhart
Leaf Man is a sweet tale that reminds us “…a Leaf Man’s got to go where the wind blows.” This cute story follows a man made of leaves with acorn eyes as he travels by animals, through the meadows, and over the pumpkins as the wind keeps blowing him about. This is a perfect fall story and touches on all things fall! Leaf Man has beautiful illustrations, and the kids will love the Leaf Man himself!
This might be fun to combine with a nature walk looking for leaves and acorns or a writing lesson about where the students would go if they were a leaf person!
Fall Read Aloud #2: Fall Mixed Up by Bob Raczka
Fall Mixed Up is so fun! This delightful tale of everything in the fall that gets mixed up a whole bunch! The students will have so much fun trying to find out what the author has “mixed up.” The author mixes up what an owl might say or where you might put a glove. Students just love correcting mistakes and this book is everything fall, but with a great twist. This one is great to observe if students are really paying attention and can catch all the mix ups!
Fletcher and the Falling Leaves by Julia Rawlinson
Fletcher, the fox, is a sweet character to really join in empathizing with throughout this story. Fletcher’s tree is losing its leaves in the fall. Fletcher really tries to save the leaves from falling off his favorite tree, but is relieved when the winter arrives. All of your curious readers will love this one and really help those youngsters understand fall!
There was an Old Lady that Swallowed Some Leaves by Lucille Colandro
Looking for some rhyming fun? There was an Old Lady that Swallowed Some Leaves is a sweet book all about all things fall written in rhyme with a funny tone. Just like the others in this series, this one does not disappoint and the students will laugh along with you!
Goodbye Summer, Hello Autumn by Kenard Pak
Here is a great book for watching the season change from summer to chilly fall by following a young girl from her house through the woods into the village saying hello to animals, nature, the wind and more, along the way. Each step of the way the animals are preparing for fall and the weather is changing making for a great introduction to what happens in fall!
The Scarecrow by Beth Ferry
Here comes a heartwarming tale of an unconventional friendship between a scarecrow and a baby crow! Talking through friendship, loneliness, character relationships, characters growing, and the idea of helping others is just too much to ignore in this great, fall book. Weave this tale into a morning meeting in the fall for engagement and a great lesson to learn!
Sweep by Louise Greig
Young elementary students sometimes deal with big emotions. Oftentimes, they become consumed by small problems, and those problems fester into bigger ones. Sweep is a sweet tale about Ed, who gets hit in the face by an autumn leaf, and it really puts him in a bad mood. Ed becomes obsessed with trying to sweep up all of his problems so that he forgets about the beautiful things around him, and the rest of the town starts to join Ed’s bad mood.
Of course, Ed has a lesson to learn at the end of Sweep, and it may be the perfect read-aloud for your students, too!
Applesauce Day by Lisa Amstultz
Who doesn’t love applesauce? This sweet tale is about a family tradition of picking apples, using a special pot that has been in the family for years, and making applesauce! Connect this story to family traditions in the fall, apple picking, and even the science of cooking! The end of the book even includes some apple facts and a recipe!
How Many Seeds in a Pumpkin by Margaret McNamara
Looking for a math-themed, fall-read-aloud? Well, this one is perfect for practicing counting and skip counting, but it also brings in elements of science with the sizes of pumpkins and pumpkin seeds and finding out the smallest pumpkin has the most seeds! The smallest boy in the class also takes this as a confidence-boosting moment when he realizes the smallest pumpkin has the most seeds, so small things have a lot going on! Are you planning on opening up a pumpkin during science? This truly is the perfect companion book!
Pumpkin Soup by Helen Cooper
Another delightful story for fall featuring the unlikely friendship of a duck, squirrel, and a cat! The three friends enjoy making pumpkin soup, but on this particular day, the duck doesn’t want to do his job, and it causes a squabble between the friends. Friendship often has its challenges, and this book will help young students navigate friendships when things get tough. Also included is a recipe for pumpkin soup!
Fall is a special time of year! Back to school, apple picking, pumpkins, and cooler weather on the way! Who doesn’t love fall? With these 10 favorite fall read-alouds, your students will be ready for the weather change and all of the fall-themed activities and events! Which one will you use first?
Check out all my other favorite read-alouds here!