Autumn Leaves
I love this time of year, I love that definite signing of the changes of the seasons.
I do love Spring as well, that freshness, that boundless potential, all that growth…
But I’m a real September baby!
Over on Twitter a year back I asked people for their recommendations for beautiful autumnal picture books and got a great response and have added them to the list I had in mind.
Please let me know if I’ve missed your favourite!
 Storm ‘It’s blowing up a storm, and a boy and his grandad decide it’s the perfect weather for kite-flying. There’s just one problem – first they have to find the kite. Their search brings up lots of wonderful memories of previous adventures together, but when they finally make it outside, their adventure really takes off!’ Publisher: Templar Publishing |
 The Very Helpful Hedgehog A sweet tale of friendship and learning to help one another, set in the beautiful countryside Isaac is a hedgehog who has only ever been alone – and that is the way he likes it. One day an apple falls from a tree and sticks onto the spines on his back. He wiggles and jiggles, but he cannot get it off. As he struggles to remove the apple, help comes in the unexpected form of a donkey who cannot reach the apples which fall outside of his paddock. Isaac learns that it is better to have a friend and to be helpful than to be on your own all of the time. Publisher: Pavilion Books |
 Leaf Man Autumn has come, the wind is gusting, and Leaf Man is on the move. Is he drifting east, over the marsh and ducks and geese? Or is he heading west, above the orchards, prairie meadows, and spotted cows? No one’s quite sure, but this much is certain: A Leaf Man’s got to go where the wind blows. With illustrations made from actual fall leaves and die-cut pages on every spread that reveal gorgeous landscape vistas, here is a playful, whimsical, and evocative book that celebrates the natural world and the rich imaginative life of children. Publisher: Harcourt Children’s Books |
 City Moon A little boy and his mother take a nighttime walk to search for the moon in this gentle, keenly observed bedtime book that’s sure to appeal to fans of Kevin Henkes’s Kitten’s First Full Moon and young children who find the moon fascinating. Soothing text and hip, coloruful collage style illustrations create a nighttime story that follows a little boy and his Mama as they walk around their neighbourhood looking for the moon. As the elusive moon plays peek-a-boo behind buildings and clouds, the little boy asks simple questions about it, and his Mama patiently answers every one. When finally the moon appears–bright and white and round and glowing–the mama and her boy stop and wait for it to disappear again. The moonlit walk continues until the boy yawns and Mama lifts him into her arms and whispers, -it is time for bed.- Publisher: Random House USA Inc |
 Fox In the frost-covered forest of early spring, fox is on a mission to find food for her three cubs. As they grow, she teaches them how to survive in the wild. Until one day, fox dies. Her body goes back to earth and grass and air, nourishing the world around her and bringing the forest to life. Death is not just an end, it’s also a beginning. Fox: A Circle of Life Story answers the big scientific question: What happens when we die? Bringing together an evocative non-fiction narrative with breath-taking illustrations, this book will help parents and children to talk about life and death. It introduces the scientific concept that death leads to new life, and that this way of understanding the world is no less beautiful and awe-inspiring than traditional stories. Fox: A Circle of Life Story unites story and science to explain this big concept to children who have lost a pet or a loved one, or who simply are curious about death and what happens after we die. Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC |
 Leaves This simple, charming story of a young bear’s first autumn is perfectly suited to board book format. Bear is surprised when the leaves start falling off the trees, but when he tries to reattach them, it doesn’t work. Eventually, he gets sleepy, and burrows into the fallen leaves for a long nap. When he wakes up, it’s spring-and there are suddenly brand-new leaves all around, seeming to welcome him. With its childlike main character and graceful illustrations, Leaves is a great way to teach the youngest children about the changing seasons. Publisher: Penguin Putnam Inc |
 Tumshie Tumshie is the Halloween story of a dad and son making old fashioned Halloween lanterns and a costume together. The story is set today in Scotland, and it’s inspired by how a Scottish Halloween used to be celebrated. Back when Halloween meant ‘guising’ (today that is trick or treating) and ‘dooking for apples’ (bobbing for apples) and carving out a tumshie (Scots for turnip) was a rite of passage for Scottish children who needed the strength of an ox and the stubbornness of a donkey. Publisher: The Gresham Publishing Co. Ltd |
 Autumn Story Celebrate the 40th anniversary of the miniature world of the mice of Brambly Hedge! Bad weather is on the way and the autumn stores are still not gathered in! Quickly, all the mice of Brambly Hedge set to work to finish the harvesting before the rain begins. Primrose, Lord Woodmouse’s daughter, meant to help, but somehow she daydreamed her way over the cornfield and into the Chestnut Woods, and before she knew it, she was lost. The sun went down, the wind rose and it began to rain. Primrose was all alone in the dark and she was frightened. Poor Primrose, would she find her way home again? Also look out for Summer Story, Spring Story and Winter Story! Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers |
 The Golden Acorn Whoosh! Squirrel takes off at full speed through the autumn leaves. But slam on the brakes, because this year The Golden Nut Hunt race is a team event. Squirrel reluctantly enlists her friends and is not impressed. Will Squirrel’s competitive spirit take over or will she learn how to be a team player? Best-selling author Katy Hudson (Too Many Carrots and A Loud Winter’s Nap) proves that winning isn’t everything in this energetic picture book about friendship, teamwork and forgiveness – and that those are things to go nuts about! Publisher: Capstone Global Library Ltd |
 The Squirrels Who Squabbled Two greedy squirrels learn to share in the third hilarious rhyming adventure from the bestselling creators of The Lion Inside and The Koala Who Could. Greedy squirrels Cyril and Bruce both have their sights on a very special prize: THE VERY LAST NUT OF THE SEASON! As the nut bounces crazily though the forest, the squirrels race after it, between the trees, over boulders, down the river and – ARGH! – right to the edge of a waterfall! Working together might be the only way to save themselves now … A laugh-out-loud tale about friendship and sharing from the award-winning creators of The Lion Inside and The Koala Who Could. Perfect for competitive friends and sibling rivals! Publisher: Hachette Children’s Group |
 Sweep An uplifting story about confronting big emotions from the author of The Night Box, stunningly illustrated by Julia Sarda. Ed’s bad mood begins as something really small, hardly a thing at all. A wonderful bedtime story for children aged 3 years and up, perfect for helping children learn to recognise and deal with big emotions. Publisher: Egmont UK Ltd |
 The Leaf Thief A brilliantly funny picture book about seasons, written by Alice Hemming and illustrated by Nicola Slater. Squirrel is so cross. Yesterday there were loads of beautiful leaves on his tree, but today? Today some are missing and Squirrel is convinced that someone has stolen them… there’s a leaf thief on the loose! Join Squirrel on a mission to find the culprit, and meet so many fun animals on the way, while you find out how the world takes on different colours as the months pass by. A laugh-out-loud book about the changing seasons, with extra information in the back for especially curious minds Perfect as a companion reader to children learning about seasons in school A brilliant picture book that explores feelings, moods and times where we feel out of control Publisher: Scholastic |
 Little Goose’s Autumn Little Goose’s Autumn is a second stunning story from an exciting picture book pairing and the uplifting tale of a lively young goose finding her place in the world. As summer fades to autumn, a lively young goose feels a change in the air and senses she has something important to do – but what? The beavers are chopping wood, the squirrels are storing nuts in the ground and the bears are busy building a den. The plucky little goose tries to join in, but without great success. She realizes her wings weren’t built for chopping wood, or burying food, or building a den, but they were built for something magnificent – they were built for flight . . . A beautiful, lyrical and hopeful story about finding your wings and your place in the world. Written by star picture book author, Elli Woollard with wonderful illustrations by rising talent, Briony May Smith, whose artwork brings an autumnal landscape of mountains and forests to life with truly breathtaking beauty. Publisher: Pan Macmillan |
 After the Storm Celebrate thirty years of Percy the Park Keeper and his animal friends with this funny story in the classic series from award-winning author and illustrator Nick Butterworth! A storm is raging outside and Percy the park keeper is having a sleepless night. When he gets up the following morning, Percy finds that the old oak tree has been blown down. It is a disaster for his animal friends who live there, but Percy is soon devising a plan to help his little friends find new homes. Includes a fabulous, surprise fold-out poster! More than 9 million Percy the Park Keeper books sold, worldwide! Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers |
