Picture books about autumn that captivate one-year-olds! Recommended reads to make fall more fun
When autumn comes, the time spent enjoying picture books with one-year-olds feels even warmer and cozier, doesn’t it? Encounters with picture books full of seasonal discoveries—colorful trees, the bounty of fall, and how animals are doing—spark the curiosity of one-year-olds more and more.
So here, we’ll introduce picture books you’ll want to read as autumn arrives, perfect for enjoying with one-year-olds.
Find delightful books that make little ones want to point with excitement, and make your autumn read-aloud time extra special!
Autumn picture books that captivate 1-year-olds! Recommended books that make fall fun (1–10)
fig carrot
This is a picture-book adaptation of the traditional children’s song “Ichijiku Ninjin.” Vegetables that appear in the song—such as figs, carrots, Japanese pepper (sansho), and shiitake mushrooms—are depicted in illustrations.
The artwork is so detailed that it feels like looking at real vegetables.
Some vegetables that children don’t often see also make an appearance, and this book may spark their interest in varieties they haven’t known before.
Since this nursery rhyme is a counting song, be sure to sing along as you enjoy the picture book.
Various potatoes
It seems that potatoes planted in September and harvested from November to December are called “autumn potatoes.” This picture book, ‘All Sorts of Potatoes,’ features those potatoes as the main characters and is perfect for autumn.
Potatoes are used in a wide variety of dishes and are vegetables that children know well.
In the book, they transform into French fries, croquettes, nikujaga, and potato salad.
Since autumn is known as the season of hearty appetites, read this book, work up your hunger, and enjoy plenty of delicious autumn foods.
Sweet potato-chan
“Oimo-chan” is a unique book perfect for autumn.
Full of energy, Oimo-chan kicks off her socks and dashes out.
Just when you wonder where she’s headed, she plunges right into the water! She enjoys a good swim, but it seems it was a bit chilly… she catches a cold.
That’s when Mel-chan comes to see her.
With the free-spirited Oimo-chan, the kind Mel-chan, and a dog and a cat joining in, they all have a wonderful time together.
Oimo-chan also appears in a work called “Chikikangoo,” so if you like, please read that one as well.
There’s no such thing as ghosts.
A book based on the beloved children’s song “Obake Nante Naisa” (“There’s No Such Thing as Ghosts”).
Since Halloween comes in autumn, ghost picture books are perfect for read-aloud time.
In this book, a classic white-sheet ghost makes an appearance.
Ghosts can seem scary, but this one is all smiles and will even share snacks with you.
As you read, ghosts stop feeling scary, and you’ll surely feel like you could become friends.
Sheet music and lyrics are included, so enjoy singing along, too.
fruit
The picture book Fruits, known for its realistic illustrations, features plenty of autumn flavors like apples, persimmons, and grapes.
The fruits look so fresh they seem almost real.
First, they’re shown whole, and then in the next illustrations they’re cut into pieces.
With a friendly “Here you go,” the fruit is offered, and children might reach out as if to take it and eat.
It’s a lovely book that lets you enjoy looking at the fruits and pretending to eat them.
Be sure to enjoy real autumn treats alongside the book, too.
sweet potato from Satsuma
When it comes to autumn events, sweet potato digging is a classic.
Some children have already experienced it, and some will do so soon.
For both groups, I highly recommend this picture book called “Satsuma no Oimo.” In the story, the sweet potatoes live as if they were people.
They even train to prepare for the showdown with the children who come to dig them up.
Thinking that the potatoes are working hard every day too might fill the children with motivation.
Talking sweet potatoes and that sound that inevitably comes out after eating them will surely delight the kids.
rustling maple leaves
A book that lets you feel the scenery and air of autumn, “Sawa Sawa Momiji.” With illustrations of crimson maple leaves and plump acorns tumbling down, it’s a picture book that makes you want to close your eyes and feel the autumn breeze.
The sound of maple leaves rustling away in the wind, the thud of acorns hitting the ground, the chill of the breeze…
Autumn is a season of brilliant colors, but it’s also one where you can enjoy so many different sounds.
The little faces on the maples and acorns are adorable, making this a picture book that even babies can enjoy.
Be sure to pick it up as a companion for the fall season.