Fall Into a Great Children’s Book
Dara L. Cain

Fall is the perfect time for outdoor family activities. What could be more enjoyable then spending time with your family bobbing for apples, pumpkin picking, attending festivals, and jumping into piles of fallen leaves! To get in the spirit of the Fall season be sure to get your hands on these great books to share with your child.

Who doesn’t think of Johnny Chapman, known best as Johnny Appleseed during this time of year. Jane Yolen’s biography Johnny Appleseed: The Legend and the Truth recounts both the facts and the legend of this historical figure. The text is fixed in rectangular boxes that give the appearance of frayed-edge leaf torn from an old book and the beautiful paintings are sure to captivate your child’s attention. The author in poetic stanza talks about the legends of Johnny and under the verses details about Chapman’s family, his growing desire to travel west, and the heritage he left behind are included.

It’s always fun to go to the pumpkin fields each year as a family to search among the many different sizes and shapes of pumpkins in hopes of finding the perfect one. Turn your pumpkin outing into a teachable moment by sharing with your child the story Life Cycle of a Pumpkin by Ron Fridell and Patricia Walsh. Your child will have a fun time learning about the life cycle of a pumpkin through simple text and full-color photographs. Discover how big pumpkins grow, why pumpkins have very big leaves, and what you can make with pumpkins.

It is so beautiful to witness the leaves on the trees change color from green to yellow, red, and orange during this wonderful time of year. In the book Autumn Leaves by Ken Robbins explore with your child an album of life-size autumn leaves and their changing colors. The photographs realistically show the imperfections of the leaves found from various areas of the country and their intriguing shapes. Observe the leaves of the smoke tree and how they resemble paddles, how the linden tree consists of leaves that appear to be hearts, and many more. For the inquisitive child a one-page explanation as to why green leaves of summer change color is included at the end of the book.

Here are a few more noteworthy books you’ll definitely want to read with your child for enjoyment. The protagonist in the story Leaf Man by Lois Ehlert is cleverly made from an assortment of real autumn leaves to form his body and acorns for eyes. One day Leaf Man is carried away by the wind and it is up to the reader to follow his trail “past the chickens, towards the marsh, over the ducks and geese” which are all creatively arranged from leaf collages too. The characters Cat, Squirrel, and Duck each have their own assigned duties when it comes to cooking their famous pumpkin soup in the story Pumpkin Soup by Helen Cooper. When Duck decides one day that instead of pouring the salt he wants to be the stirrer all chaos breaks loose among the friends. Linda White tells the story of Rebecca Estelle, an old woman who has despised pumpkins ever since she was a girl. When an enormous pumpkin falls off a truck and crashes into her yard she covers the pumpkin with dirt. You must read the story Too Many Pumpkins to find out how one forgotten pumpkin turns into many. One of my personal favorites The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything by Linda Williams is about a little old lady who is not afraid of anything. She encounters a pumpkin head, a tall black hat, and other spooky objects that follow her through the dark woods trying to scare her.

All of these wonderful Fall books are available at Rowan Public Library!