It’s fall ya’ll!! Which obviously means it’s time to swap out Olivia’s summer books for some more seasonally appropriate titles. We’re talking changing leaves, giving back, sneaky tricks, black cats, nighttime stories, ghosts, owls, magic, nature, pumpkins, foxes, and more! If there was a book on Pumpkin Spice Lattes, you bet your buttons it’d be on these shelves.
— from left to right top to bottom —
One Thousand Things - This is such a beautiful book to start introducing everyday words and concepts. I love how it’s divided into categories and the illustrations have sort of a mid-century vibe and aren’t too overwhelming. This whole series is so great.
A Tale of Two Beasts - This is such a funny story about a chance encounter of a girl and an animal. It’s told first from the perspective of the girl and then from the perspective of the animal, and it’s a great example that there are two sides to every story. The animal’s perspective is my favorite, and sometimes I feel like that’s what Geoffrey thinks about us haha
That’s Not My Owl - This is such a great touchy-feely book for sensory exploration. There is also a cute little mouse to find on each page (Olivia’s favorite part). There are also lots of other fun fall + halloween animals like a fox, hedgehog, bat, witch, and monster.
I Wish.. - This was a fun random find at a local children’s boutique. We have another Jellycat book that Olivia just loves, and this is a really sweet story about being true to yourself.
Bear Has a Story to Tell - This story is all about hibernation and how Bear wants to tell his story to anyone who will listen, but all of the other animals are too busy getting ready for the changing season.
This is Owl - This is such a fun and interactive book where your little one gets to be a part of the story. Sort of like Press Here. You get to blow on the pages, shake the book, and make silly noises to help push the story along. So fun!
Boo! - This is a great little board book for babies and toddlers with lots of peek throughs as we try to figure out who said “boo!” (spoiler alert: it was a ghost)
The Curious Case of the Missing Mammoth - I am obsessed with this book. Olivia will literally squeal as I turn each page because the illustrations are just incredible. So many fun flaps to lift for a picture book, all of which reveal interesting facts about animals and dinosaurs. The museum comes to life at night and Oscar must help the mammoth find his little brother before the clock strikes midnight and the magic of the museum wears off.
How to Make Friends With a Ghost - This is such a whimsical story about how to first of all spot a ghost, and then how to make friends with one. It’s so well done with all of it’s charts and figures as your reader gets schooled on the ins and outs of ghosts. Hint: if you’re kind, ghosts will want to be friends with you.
Ava and the Spectacular Spectacles - This is a great book for anyone who hates wearing their glasses (definitely not me as a kid, I begged for glasses lol). But it talks about how if each character in our favorite fairy tales had worn their glasses, things would have turned out much differently. I see you little red riding hood. Bet you’d realize that grandma was a wolf if you would have worn your glasses ;)
Little Owl Lost - This is a fan favorite in our home. No surprises there since it’s by the same author has Olivia’s favorite book Oh No George! The little owl falls out of it’s tree and is trying to find his mommy by describing her features to other animals. It is so cute and Derek laughs so hard at my voices. Books are SO much better with voices amiright?
Triangle - Oh my gosh this book. I don’t know about the others (Circle and Square — which are on mega sale right now btw), but this one is SO funny. Bonus for it’s gorgeous and moody watercolor illustrations. You learn shapes, you learn about sneaky tricks, you get to see stunning illustrations. It’s everything I could ask for in a book.
Last Stop on Market Street - This is such a beautiful book if you’re looking to introduce social justice issues. It’s about a boy and his grandmother who ride the bus every week to volunteer at a local soup kitchen, and the importance of acceptance and giving back to your community.
Itsy Bitsy Spider - I’m personally not a huge nursery rhyme fan, but this book has a modern twist with poppy illustrations and textured finger trails on each page. Olivia loves to flip the pages faster than I can recite the nursery rhyme and get’s so mad if I don’t immediately switch to singing the next one after she turns the page lol
I’m Not (very) Afraid of the Dark - Ohhhh this book. Fair warning, this is not a great book for little ones who are still rough on their books. Each page has intricate laser cut details that are just so stunning, but very delicate. It’s all about a little boy who is only afraid of the dark at night (I feel you kid). But then learns that the night can be beautiful (like when he goes camping and gets to see all of the stars) and the bumps in the night and shadows in his room are just the wind outside and the moon shining on some of his toys. I can’t say enough about this one.
Yum Yummy Yuck - When I found out Amanda Jane Jones wrote a children’s book I had to have it. When I realized it was for kids who put literally anything in their mouth. Even better. This is such a fun book about what you should and shouldn’t eat, and the gorge modern illustrations are the cherry on top.
Wolfie the Bunny - I think it’s safe to say this is Derek’s favorite book. Again 95% sure it’s because of the voices. A bunny family is raising a baby wolf that was left on their doorstep, even though Dot (their daughter) is not convinced he isn’t going to “eat us all up!” Such a sweet story about family and protective little (but big) brothers.
ABC Color - I’m obsessed with this illustrator and have been slowly accumulating (hoarding) all of her books. I love how her ABC series always starts out talking about “you probably know these basic colors red, orange, yellow, etc. but do you know these?” and then goes into all kinds of colors, which makes my color loving heart so happy.
The Stinky Cheese Man - This is such a nostalgic book for me. It literally has nothing to do with fall, but the warm (and kind of creepy) illustrations begged to be on display for this season. I love all of the ridiculous stories and twists on old classics. I remember my cousins and I just obsessing over these stories growing up.
Gus Was a Friendly Ghost - This was a baby shower gift from a friend that grew up loving this book, and we quickly found out why. It’s such a sweet story about Gus the ghost who lives in the attic of the Scott’s summer home. He loves to make noises so that the Scotts talk about how they have a ghost, but when a mouse comes to ruin everything and starts to terrorize the Scott family, Gus is not having it and puts his foot down. So cute.
National Parks of the USA - Another stunning book. These illustrations are just SO beautiful. Derek grew up going to national parks so this is such an important book for our family, so that we can teach Olivia all about them. This book goes into all of the cool facts about each national park, the animals you can find, the stats, the sights, everything! It’s also on mega sale right now if you haven’t already snatched it up.
Peek Inside Nighttime - Olivia loves all of her Peek Inside books, and this one is so well done. The nighttime element is perfect for spooky Halloween nights with so many flaps to lift, cut outs, and finger trails. Girlfriend loves an interactive book.
Cat and Mouse - We picked up this fun board book at The Menil in Houston, and it has fun peek through elements as it introduces readers to prepositions. It’s a classic story of a cat and mouse chase, but the end is very surprising (don’t worry the cat doesn’t eat the mouse haha).
Peek-a-Flap Boo - Okay this book totally surprised me. My mom and I randomly found it on the Halloween book end cap at Target because Olivia has a couple others from this collection and just loves the super thick flaps. Well little did we know, this book is FULL of random Halloween facts. Like did you know that people used to carve radishes? Or that candy corn was originally called chicken feed? Who doesn’t love random facts!
Olivia and the Missing Toy - This book also has nothing to do with Halloween or fall, but the cover is very spooky! It’s also full of mystery as Olivia (the pig) tries to figure out who stole her missing toy.
Fairy Friends Seasons - This whole collection is so beautiful with the pressed flower illustrations, but Seasons in particular is just so perfect for this time of year.
Fall is my second favorite time of year (right behind Christmas + winter). I love the crips air, the pumpkin flavored everything, the changing leaves, and cozying up with my family and a big ol’ stack of books to read and explore. And * bonus points * when they relate to an activity we did that day that we can learn more about. If you’ve missed my other book round ups here they are: