Fall Into a Book: Reading Ideas for Kids

Leaves are falling and pumpkin spice has arrived. Make it your autumn goal to cozy up with a good book and read aloud together with your child every day.

Reading aloud every day for just 15 minutes makes a big difference for your little one, especially if your child is deaf or hard of hearing. When you read to them early and often, you’re helping their little brain get ready for listening, talking, reading, and learning. To make this even sweeter – you and your child will create a special bond and happy memories as you read together!

Whether you’re at home, on a fall walk, or jumping in a pile of leaves, fall into reading together with this great list of books!

In addition to the book titles, you’ll find some tried-and-true strategies and techniques shared by Listening and Spoken Language (LSL) professionals. Try them out while you read aloud to your child!

“You’re My Little Pumpkin Pie” by Nicola Edwards

Ages 0-2 years

Babies LOVE this board book! Parents and little ones both enjoy this book’s features such as:

• Colorful contrasting pictures
• Cutouts to poke little fingers through
• Raised edges for babies to touch the characters

It’s also the perfect book to read aloud softly during a quiet time with your baby. Try whispering at different levels as you read: “You’re my little pumpkin pie, you make my life soooo sweet. Warm even on the coldest night, you’re good enough to eat!”

Try this: Use the Play-by-Play LSL strategy and describe what’s happening. Try a sing-song voice and stretch out the vowels while reading with your baby. This will make your voice even more interesting for your baby to listen to!

“It’s Pumpkin Day, Mouse!” by Laura Numeroff and Felicia Bond 

Ages 1-3 years

Join Mouse, from the classic “If You Give a Mouse a Cookie,” as he decorates pumpkins for fall! In this board book, Mouse paints different faces on his seven pumpkins. There’s a happy pumpkin, there’s one that’s sad, and another that’s silly. Read along with your toddler to explore the different feelings and help Mouse find his lost 7th pumpkin!

Try this: Use the All About Me strategy to link your child’s past experiences to what’s happening in the book.

• “Oh look, this pumpkin has a silly face – remember we were making silly faces in the mirror today?”
• “I wonder if you can make faces? Can you make a mad face? What about a silly face? Happy? Scared? Friendly?”

“The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything” by Linda D. Williams and Megan Lloyd

Ages 2-6 years

This fun fall read-aloud is perfect for your toddler or preschooler! The Little Old Lady is going for a walk on a fall evening and then she hears shoes that go “clomp clomp,” pants that go “wiggle wiggle,” and more! The Little Old Lady tells each piece of clothing, “Get out of my way, I’m not afraid of you!” but the familiar clothing items and a pumpkin proceed to follow her home. Read together with your child to find out how she solves this big problem!

Try this: This book is perfect for playing the guessing game! Before you turn the page to a new item of clothing, ask, “You won’t believe what’s next! It’s another piece of clothing and you wear this clothing item on your head... I wonder what it is? Hhhmmmmm”

This book is also so fun for working on short-term memory! “I am trying to remember all the clothing items... there was a pair of shoes, a pair of pants, and a shirt... help me think of some more...“ There are all kinds of tips and ideas to try when reading with your little one!

“We’re Going on a Leaf Hunt” by Steve Metzger and Miki Sakamoto 

Ages 2-4 years

This fantastic fall book is a super fun way to stand up and get involved! Three friends are going on a leaf hunt and what an adventure they have looking for different colored leaves! The friends climb a mountain “climb.. climb.. huff.. puff” And they find colorful red maple leaves! This fun adventure takes the three friends through a forest “step.. step.. squish.. squish” and other fun places to look for colorful fall leaves. So get up and follow along with the actions!

Try this: Go outside on a leaf hunt and explore the different shapes and colors leaves come in! Use the Play by Play LSL strategy while exploring for leaves such as:

• “I see a leaf hiding under the tall tree.”
• “This leaf is really dry and listen to the crackle sound while you squish it in your hands.”
• Play the “I Spy Game” while on your leaf hunt together. “I spy a yellow leaf in front of our blanket! Do you see it?”

“There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed Some Leaves” by Lucille Colandro and Jared Lee

Ages 2-6 years

Everyone’s favorite Old Lady is back with a fun fall classic! Your preschooler will love laughing with you as you read together about all the funny fall items the Old Lady swallows! Bonus: It rhymes! Rhyming helps young children develop language and literacy skills by helping them pay attention to "end sounds" in words.

Try this: Play the rhyming game! While reading a sentence such as,

• “I don’t know why she swallowed the leaves, perhaps she’ll... sneeze! Leaves…..sneeze those words rhyme! Let’s think of another rhyme – leaves, sneeze… please!”
• Or after you’ve read the book try and think of all the items the old lady swallowed. You could say “What did she swallow? Some leaves.. a pumpkin.. a pole.. pants and a rope! What else?”

Stories for Every Season

Whether you and your little one are cooling off by the pool on a summer day, strolling on an autumn walk, cozying up by the fireplace on a winter night, or exploring the fresh blooms of spring, books are your best companion in any season. When you read aloud to your child, they may hear a good story but really, they’re learning language and you’re helping their brain grow listening, talking, and learning skills. It is never too early to start!
Watch the video below to learn more tips on how to raise a reader this fall and all year long!

How to Turn Story Time Into Conversation Time 

Download a printable version of this resource here.