autumn reading

by Eden Ross Lipson

McIntosh? Red Delicious? When the autumn farmer's market arrives, it's time to whip up some applesauce! A young boy recounts his multigenerational family's tradition of bringing fresh apples from the market to the tabletop. Each urban apple aficionado has a special job in the slicing, cooking, and mashing process. The recipe at the end will inspire your own family rituals.

by Cathryn Falwell

A garden of vegetables--crisp lettuce, bright green peas and red radishes grows through the summer, but what is that pale green vine? The jaunty rhyme and cut paper collage art will engage the youngest listeners as the children gather their bounty and the final crop of pumpkins is harvested. Recipes and plant activities are included.

by Betsy Maestro

Why do leaves change colors? And why do they fall from their trees? Part of the Let's-Read-and-Find-Out-Series, this informative book beautifully explains the science behind autumn. It includes detailed pictures of leaves in their different sizes, shapes, and colors, and instructions for making leaf rubbings. Simple language and clear illustrations makes this the perfect information book for explaining photosynthesis to young children.

by Lois Ehlert

This is the story of the friendship between a sugar maple and the child who planted it. Follow the sugar maple from seed to seedling to tree. Along with autumnal, collage-like illustrations, Ehlert included bounteous information on the tree and the creatures living inside it. The book includes instructions for creating an attractive bird feeder for extra fall fun.

by Morteza E. Sohi

This multi-purpose book is a seasonal staple! It serves as a basic field guide and science lesson on a leaf's lifecycle, as well as an arts and craft book: it helps children locate and identify various types of leaves and explains how to fold, crumple, and mold them into an autumn masterpiece. Science meets art to provide your child with autumnal activities!

by Douglas Florian

Have you ever heard of the "owlphabet"? Or "fallicopters"? Using simple rhyme schemes and detailed descriptions, Douglas Florian created a new, autumn-oriented language for this book of poetry. He describes crunchy leaves and crispy apple pie and big, plump pumpkins; it captures the spirit of childhood, and the season, with its tongue-twisting, elaborate descriptions.

by Monica Wellington
translated by Eida del Risco

Follow Annie as she gathers apples from her orchard and transforms them into applesauce, cider, and pastries for the farmer's market! Wellington's brightly colored illustrations provide an engaging background for the book's "can-do" theme. Each page is written in Spanish with an English translation.

by Maureen Wright

Poor Big Bear can't hear very well, and when Old Man Winter tells him it's time to hibernate, he can't seem to get the message straight. Big Bear drives a jeep, sweeps, leaps, and climbs a steep--he does everything except sleep! But when Old Man Winter shouts, Big Bear finally hears his message and can begin his winter hibernation.

by James Prosek

Follow three very different creatures—a monarch butterfly, a barn swallow, and an American eel—as they journey from New England to their places of hibernation. Their trips take them thousands of miles, on land, in the air, and in the sea; eventually, their offspring return to New England to recommence the natural cycle. Each creature's story teaches the basic elements of hibernation.