Smol Book Club: Our Favorite Kids' Books For Fall
Is there anything cozier than the first chilly weeks of fall?
You finally get to break out hoodies and jeans, think about drinking hot chocolate again, and spend a little more time indoors playing games, watching movies, and–our favorite–reading.
The brisk fall air offers the perfect excuse to spend the day under stacks of blankets and books with your littles tucked right next to you. Reading with your kids is developmentally one of the best things you can do. Such a simple and fun activity supports emotional bonding, cognitive development, improved concentration, and dozens of other benefits.
That’s why we’re launching Smol Book Club–the coolest place to find must-reads for your minis! We know how important it is to deepen your connection with your kids and create core memories. We also know most parents are like us and gush over the beautifully illustrated and cleverly written children’s books that are on the shelves.
With each new season, we’ll be sharing our top picks to make it even more special for you and your kids. After all, a fall read-a-thon becomes even more magical when the stories are inspired by everything you love about the season–Halloween, the harvest, changing leaves, and all things pumpkins.
There are dozens of fall-themed children’s books we absolutely adore, but narrowed that list down to our Top 10. Once you see these, you’re going to want all of them!
Top 10 Best Fall Children’s Books
Skeletons and monsters. Gratitude and pumpkins. Learning and back to school. There is something for everyone in our Smol Book Club list.
1. Bonaparte Falls Apart
Carve out family time for this clever and humorous picture book about a skeleton who is falling to pieces and needs help pulling himself together.
Bonaparte is having a tough time. It’s hard for this young skeleton to just hang loose when he can’t keep hold of himself.
When he plays catch, his throwing arm literally takes a flyer. Eating lunch can be a real jaw-dropping occasion. How can he start school when he has so many screws loose?
2. Frankenstein: A Monstrous Parody
This is a laugh-out-loud funny and devilish send-up of Ludwig Bemelmans's Madeline for little monsters everywhere.
Frankenstein is the scariest of all the monsters in Miss Devel's castle. He can frighten anything―animals, parents, even rocks. Until one night, Miss Devel wakes up and runs downstairs to find that Frankenstein has lost his head!
3. They All Saw a Cat
In this glorious celebration of observation, curiosity, and imagination, author and illustrator Brendan Wenzel shows us the many lives of one cat, and how perspective shapes what we see. When you see a cat, what do you see?
4. Thank Fall
Thank Fall is a heartwarming story that reminds children and families to be grateful and slow down to enjoy life's little moments.
Join Levi as he embarks on a magical quest to create the perfect autumn potion, capturing the essence of fall with every step. As Levi collects ingredients, he mindfully uses his five senses to experience the beauty and joy of the season.
5. Press Here
Press the yellow dot on the cover of this interactive children's book, follow the instructions within, and embark upon a magical journey! Each page of this surprising touch book instructs the reader to push the button, shake it up, tilt the book, and who knows what will happen next!
6. The Little Kitten
This is a charming autumn story about a little girl who must return a kitten to its home. Ollie and her cat Pumpkin are out frolicking on a beautiful fall day when they come upon a tiny kitten shivering in a pile of fallen leaves. Ollie warms the kitten up and the three become fast friends, but when Ollie sees “Lost Kitten” posters hanging on the trees in the forest, she knows she has to help her new friend get home. As Halloween draws nearer, magic is afoot, and Ollie’s good deed is rewarded in an unexpected way.
7. Goodbye Summer, Hello Autumn
As trees sway in the cool breeze, blue jays head south, and leaves change their colors. Everyone knows–autumn is on its way!
Join a young girl as she takes a walk through forest and town, greeting all the signs of the coming season. In a series of conversations with every flower and creature and gust of wind, she says goodbye to summer and welcomes autumn.
8. The Pigeon Has to Go to School
Why does the Pigeon have to go to school? He already knows everything! And what if he doesn't like it? What if the teacher doesn't like him? What if he learns TOO MUCH?
9. The Good, the Bad, and the Spooky
This book is based on the New York Times bestselling picture book sensation The Bad Seed.
Halloween is the Bad Seed’s favorite holiday of the year. But what’s a seed to do when he can’t find a show-stopping costume for the big night? Postpone trick-or-treating for everyone, of course!
Can he get a costume together in time? Or will this seed return to his bad ways?
10. The Little Ghost Who Was a Quilt
Ghosts are supposed to be sheets, light as air and able to whirl and twirl and float and soar. But the little ghost who is a quilt can't whirl or twirl at all, and when he flies, he gets very hot.
He doesn't know why he's a quilt. His parents are both sheets, and so are all of his friends. (His great-grandmother was a lace curtain, but that doesn't really help cheer him up.) He feels sad and left out when his friends are zooming around and he can't keep up. But one Halloween, everything changes.
Add these to your home library so you’re ready to get festive when the leaves start to change! Your kids will look forward to this sweet seasonal reading tradition and remember it for years to come.
Let the fall read-a-thon begin!
