When the nights start earlier and the temperature is cooler, snuggling up with a book and a blankie is so inviting. There are some wonderful books about the fall season to share with young children.
Have you discovered the story Sophie’s Squash by Pat Zietlow Miller? The family picks out a squash at the Farmer’s Market but it never makes it to the table. Instead, Sophie thinks it is just the right size to cuddle, draws a face for it, and gives it a name. She takes the squash around with her, just like an imaginary friend. But a squash doesn’t last the way a special blanket does. I’m not sure if reading this story would help kids eat squash or not, but they could draw faces on other fruits and vegetables and turn them into friends. Kids could have conversations with them, or let them talk to each other.
A very silly story is Fall Mixed Up by Bob Raczka. This is for kids that understand some of the changes in the fall. Do apples turn orange and pumpkins red? Do squirrels fly? How about leaves, do they fall down or float up? This story has many things all mixed up and kids delight in both the words and the wonderful pictures.
In the book When The Leaf Blew In, by Steve Metzger, one fall leaf blows into the barn and creates a zany series of events. This story is really good for sequencing. Kids often confuse the order of what has happened, especially if there is a problem, such as who had the toy first. They forget that they may have finished with something and only remember how they were using an object just before someone else began. A story such as this one can help them practice cause and effect. Doing the actions is fun too.
There are so many great stories for fall it’s hard to choose. But reading any book with kids helps them with build their brain library. What fall books does your child like?