Autumn leaves are falling all around us and pumpkins are being picked ready to carve for Halloween. It's a wonderful season full of beautiful colours and textures. As animals and humans alike get ready to hunker down and stay warm against the impending colder weather, there's still time to marvel in nature and all she has to offer during this season of harvest.
Here's a selection of some of our favourite Montessori friendly books to accompany autumn.
Autumn Leaves by Ken Robbins is a beautiful book with concise text and crisp, close-up, color photographs of thirteen different leaves from North American trees that teaches very young children how to look at and compare the leaves of autumn, and are accompanied by an explanation of why they turn in colour.
We Gather Together: Celebrating the Harvest Season by Wendy Pfeffer The official start of the harvest season, it occurs around September 21 each year. It marks the end of summer and the beginning of longer nights and shorter days. For many cultures around the world, the fall equinox represents a time to celebrate the harvest and begin collecting and storing crops.
Looking at both the science of weather and the history of how the fall equinox has been celebrated by various cultures throughout the world, this book will inspire a new understanding of autumn and the harvest season.
Little Goose's Autumn by Elli Woollard is a lovely storybook with beautiful illustrations which explains how different animals live in the autumn season.
Goodby Summer, Hello Autumn by Kennard Pak is part of his popular series of seasonal books. As trees sway in the cool breeze, blue jays head south, and leaves change their colors, everyone knows--autumn is on its way!
Join a young girl as she takes a walk through forest and town, greeting all the signs of the coming season. In a series of conversations with every flower and creature and gust of wind, she says good-bye to summer and welcomes autumn.
Moon by Britta Teckentrup The much-loved children’s author brings you an elaborate book with peek-through holes that show the moon’s different phases with each turn of the page.
Over deserts and forests, Arctic tundra and tropical beaches, the moon shines down on creatures around the world. Children will love discovering how it changes from day to day as the lunar cycle is shown through clever peek-through holes, each revealing the moon in a different size and shape.
It’s the perfect light nonfiction book for young stargazers — and an ideal bedtime book, ending with a giant moon hovering over a sleepy town hunkered down for bed.
Because of an Acorn by Lola M Schaefer and Adam Schaefer Because of an acorn, a tree grows, a bird nests, a seed becomes a flower. Enchanting die cuts illustrate the vital connections between the layers of an ecosystem in this magical book. Wander down the forest path to learn how every tree, flower, plant, and animal connect to one another in spiraling circles of life. An acorn is just the beginning.
Ned the hedgehog is looking for a home in the cold, dark forest. He needs somewhere warm and cosy to sleep, but all he keeps finding are other creatures' homes: rabbits', foxes', owls', bats'. Will he ever find a snug safe bed of his own? This beautiful book is written and illustrated by award-winning author and illustrator Tim Hopgood.
"Bear sniffed once.
She sniffed twice.
'I smell winter in the air. . . .'"
A chill is in the air and Bear knows it is time for her winter nap. But first, she must tell Snail. And Snail must tell Skunk. And Skunk must tell Turtle. Each animal who tries to put off going to sleep just a little longer sees, smells, hears, or tastes the signs of the impending season. Finally, Ladybug rushes off to tell Bear--already asleep in her cave--the exciting news.
Denise Fleming presents a warm-hearted story about animals of the forest settling down for their winter nap. But, like children who must go to bed for the night, they each find a way to put it off just a little bit longer. Richly illustrated in fall colors, Denise Fleming's Time to Sleep world is right on target for preschoolers.
Pick a pumpkin from the patch. Tall and lean or short and fat. Vivid orange, ghostly white, or speckled green, might be just right.
Pairing a wonderfully rhythmic read-aloud text with expressive retro illustrations, author Patricia Toht and illustrator Jarvis capture all the excitement and familial feeling of a favorite holiday tradition. Readers will be happy to follow along with each step, from picking out the perfect specimen at the pumpkin patch (be sure to stop for cider and toffee apples) to carting it home, scooping out the insides, carving a scary face, and finally lighting a candle inside — savouring the familiar ritual of transforming an ordinary pumpkin into a one-of-a-kind glowing jack-o’-lantern.
Scamper in the colourful autumn leaves with Squirrel. Squirrel loves autumn. He chases the swirling leaves and collects food with his little brother. But Squirrel has so much fun that he forgets where he put his food! Will he find it again before his little brother eats it all Animal Seasons is a beautifully presented series of picture books, designed to entertain as well as to inform young readers about the essence of each of the four seasons. Suitable for reading together as well as reading alone, these books are not only highly enjoyable picture books but also a learning tool for literacy and the natural world.
Celebrate the coming of autumn with your child as you cuddle up and enjoy a sweet look at how the world changes along with the season. With beautiful watercolor illustrations and charming descriptions, you and your child will be wishing it was autumn year round!
Read and find out about how apples grow in this colorfully illustrated nonfiction picture book.
This is a clear and appealing environmental science book for early elementary age kids, both at home and in the classroom.
Questions addressed in this book include:
Did you know that when you bite into an apple, you're eating part of a flower?
Why do apple trees need bees to make apples?
How does the tree feed the gorwing apples and make them ready to eat?
What are you looking forward or enjoying to this autumn? Do you have any books you are reading to help you prepare? Let us know if you've any favourites which aren't on the list.
Co-authored and edited by Mie Mari Sløk Rusdal and Jude Saffron
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