Books about leaves

Looking for leaf books?  These are perfect to read when doing a Fall theme!

This list of books appears in the appendix of my Fall Theme Pack, and today I’m sharing detailed reviews of each title.  Be sure to check out my reviews of apple books and pumpkin books if you’re doing a Fall unit!

Leaves in Fall, by Mari Schuh

The Bullfrog Books series is my newest find for fabulous nonfiction books for preschoolers. Snatch them up when you see them!  This one teaches the science of leaves changing color.  It has very simple text alongside beautiful photographs.  It even has a picture glossary at the end. Really, it’s just perfect.

Autumn Leaves, by Gail Saunders-Smith

While I read this book aloud to my three-year-old, it’s actually ideal for the emergent reader, as it has just one or two words per page.  “Green leaves.  Red leaves.”  Your preschooler might want to do as mine did and try to read it himself.

Why Do Leaves Change Color? by Betsy Maestro

This book, from the excellent Let’s Read And Find Out series, goes into some pretty detailed science about leaves. (I learned quite a bit!) Surprisingly, my Three listened the whole way through – but it may have been an exceptionally good day.  Definitely try this one out with preschoolers and kindergartners, but be ready to skip over some sentences if it gets too long for your listeners.

Leaves, by Vijaya Khisty Bodach

This is a Pebble Plus book (another great series for preschoolers!).  While the focus isn’t on Fall leaves, it helps children understand the importance of leaves for the health of a tree and the different types of leaves children may find.  Another winner!

Leaves in Fall, by Martha Rustad

This is another Pebble Plus book and not as detailed as the one I just mentioned.  I actually prefer the other one, but I like that this one names a few different Fall leaves.

Fall Leaves, by Mary Packard

This is a Hello Reader rhyming book.  It’s a quick read and a good read aloud for young preschoolers.

Fall leaves Fall, by Zoe Hall

This very simple read aloud would make a nice introduction to your Fall unit in preschool or kindergarten.

Leaf Jumpers, by Carole Gerber

I love this book because it’s a nice, simple introduction to the different types of Fall leaves.  It’s truly perfect to read before using the leaf cards and leaf pocket chart sentences from my Fall Theme Pack.

Fall Leaf Project, by Margaret McNamara

In this book, children pack leaves to send to a class whose students live where they don’t have Fall leaves.  I liked this one because as a teacher in the desert of Arizona our weather chart read one thing: sunny! Our playground trees were orange, lemon, and tangerine trees, and most students had rocks and cactuses in their yards.  This is a nice, sweet story which also teaches about a few different types of leaves.

We’re Going on a Leaf Hunt, by Steve Metzger

Of this entire list, this book was my Three’s absolute favorite.   It follows the pattern of the popular story, We’re Going on a Bear Hunt.  At the end of the book, the children find a skunk instead of a bear and race back home.  We love the sound effects and cheerful pictures.

Autumn Leaves, by Ken Robbins

This book is a wonderful one to read when using my leaf 3-part cards or pocket chart sentences that you’ll find in my Fall Theme Pack.  I wondered if my Three would have any interest in the details about various Fall leaves and was surprised when he pronounced, “That was a really good book!”  Give it a try, but don’t be surprised if it flops.  Keep it on hand for identifying leaves that you collect on a nature hunt.

Red Leaf, Yellow Leaf, by Lois Ehlert

As a former teacher and a forever fan of children’s literature, I feel a bit reluctant to admit that I’ve never been a big fan of Lois Ehlert’s books.  The illustrations don’t grab me, and I’ve never been crazy about the stories. I found the text of this book uninteresting and the pictures somewhat hard to distinguish.  But this is a recommended read on every list of leaf books, so I must be missing something!

Oliver Finds His Way, by Phyllis Root

I just love the adorable illustrations of a plump bear cub named Oliver who chases a leaf until he can no longer see his mother and father.  Finally he finds his parents when he roars and they roar back.   Such a sweet book!

Tap the Magic Tree, by Christie Matheson

This is a fun interactive book which has your child tapping on the tree, shaking the leaves, and knocking on the trunk – then turning the page to see what has changed.  This fun story is an excellent book to read before a more scientific look at Fall.

Fletcher and the Falling Leaves, by Julia Rawlinson

This is a tender, endearing book about little fox who is worried when his favorite tree starts to lose its leaves.  Even though Fletcher tries to rescue the leaves and reattach them to the tree, he can’t stop Autumn.  It’s a long book, but my Three stayed engaged.

The Little Yellow Leaf, by Carin Berger

The Little Yellow Leaf watches the other leaves fall, but he’s not ready yet.  As the apples grow mushy and children play in piles of crackly leaves, he still hangs on.  Even at the first snow he’s attached to the tree.  Finally, another lone leaf encourages him to let go along with him.  This book probably has a deeper meaning about how support from a friend can help you face the unknown, but we just enjoyed it at face value.

Leaves! Leaves! Leaves! by Nancy Elizabeth Wallace

This is a longer book which might test the patience of younger listeners, but my kids enjoyed it.  It takes you through the seasons as Buddy the bear’s mother teaches him the science of leaves.  This is mostly nonfiction content set within a fictional story.  I learned a few things myself!

The Leaves on The Trees, by Thom Wiley

This is a cute and informative book about different types of fall leaves. The best part is that you can sing it to the tune of “London Bridge Is Falling Down.” This is another great book to read before you use my Fall leaf picture cards or pocket chart sentences, which are part of my Fall Theme Pack.

Leaf Man, by Lois Ehlert

Okay, here I am again, not liking a popular Lois Ehlert book.  It just didn’t strike us.  The pictures were too crowded and BIG, so that it was hard to find what our eyes were supposed to find – objects made from leaves.  But you may feel differently, which is why I’m including it.

I Am a Leaf, by Jean Marzollo

I love how this book uses rhyme and repetition to tell about leaves through all four seasons.  We like the cut paper illustrations, too.

There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed Some Leaves! by Lucille Colandro

This is such a silly series, but the books are a lot of fun.  In this one, the old lady swallows some leaves (perhaps she’ll sneeze).  She swallows leave, a pole, a jacket, and more… and she finally sneezes up a scarecrow!

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Fall Theme Pack for Pre-K/K

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This 245-page theme pack has a huge variety of activities for your apple, pumpkin, and leaf unit in preschool or kindergarten! You’ll get printable vocabulary cards and nonfiction books with real photos, emergent readers that your learners can read and color, clip cards, beginning reading games, activity pages, and more.

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