Four Children's Books Celebrating Autumn and the Harvest Season

Whether you're an educator or a parent, trying to find an autumn season book that doesn't focus on Halloween isn't an easy task. The following list of books focus on the autumn season and the harvest. The first book is Christian focused and only the last book on the list only briefly mentions trick-or-treating. Use these books if you want your child to focus on the season, allowing them to feel the celebration of the harvest, not just getting candy.

The Pumpkin Patch Parable written by Liz Curtis Higgs and illustrated by Nancy Munger. This is a thirteen page hardback book from Tommy Nelson, Inc. This book celebrates God's love for his people with a parable about a pumpkin. There are scripture quotations throughout the story from the International Children's Bible, New Century Version copyright 1986. Higgs tells a story about a farmer who grows a pumpkin from a seed, harvests it, cleans it up, and turns it into a glorious sight. This book is a wonderful parable for young readers or listeners to understand God's word and plan.

Hello, Harvest Moon written by Ralph Fletcher and illustrated by Kate Kiesler. This book is a 32 page hardback book from Clarion Books. With relaxing painted illustrations, the story features a young girl watching the full harvest moon come up at night and how it brightens the sky. The descriptive story of the moon in autumn will delight young ears and enchant readers with the majesty of autumn. Read this as a wonderful bedtime story or introduction to the autumn season. This book does not talk about Halloween, but only about the changing season.

Harvest Song written and illustrated by Frank Fiorello. This is a 29 page hardback book with brightly illustrated pages. Two children and their cat watch autumn come and see the changes of nature with the trees and leaves, how the days get cooler, flowers losing their petals, pumpkins harvesting, birds flying south, and how the insects seem to have disappeared. The book discusses winter and spring briefly. This book is more of a celebration of autumn and the wonderful changes that occur during the cooler months. This book does not discuss Halloween.

Patty's Pumpkin Patch written and illustrated by Teri Sloan. This is a 30 page hardback book from G.P. Putnam's Sons of New York. Basically this is an A to Z book of a pumpkin patch with a rhyming story about a pumpkin patch. Each page follows the alphabet with a letter and corresponding picture such as C is for caterpillar and M is for moth. This book really sets the mood for the autumn season while discussing scarecrows, pumpkin carving, and how to use pumpkin seeds. The author only briefly mentions trick-or-treating.

If you're planning on pumpkin carving and using pumpkin recipes with your child or students, read these books so your child may better understand where pumpkins come from. There are many autumn activities to incorporate with these books. After reading to your child, ask them what they would like to create and allow them to use their imaginations. After reading Patty's Pumpkin Patch, suggest your child make his/her own alphabet book with a subject of their choice. After reading Harvest Song, give your child art supplies and ask him/her to draw and color autumn trees. The possibilities for continued projects with these books are only limited to your child's imagination.