Autumn Picture Books That 3-Year-Olds Will Love! A Recommended Collection Perfect for Read-Alouds

Last updated:2025/11/7

10 years as a kindergarten teacher / elementary school teacher / junior and senior high school teacher / childminderkepiko
Graduated from Kunitachi College of Music, Faculty of Music (now: Department of Music Culture and Education, Early Childhood Music Education major). In elementary school, my homeroom teacher was Jun Kusaba, a game researcher. After graduating from university, I worked as a kindergarten teacher for 10 years and as an after-school childcare instructor for 7 years, then took a position as a music teacher at an international school in Singapore. In addition to music education, I engaged in activities that introduced Japanese culture, traditional games, and recreational activities, working with many children. Later, through freelance writing, planning, and editing at Shogakukan, I met many delightful adults and experienced the joy of communicating and sharing. Drawing on the perspective cultivated in the field of education and my experience as an editor, I provide practical information with an emphasis on both input and output, mainly in areas related to music and children. My hobbies include instruments, singing, handicrafts, toys, drawing, traditional games, the outdoors, and books. My special skill is spinning-top tricks.

When we think of autumn, we think of reading season.

It’s the perfect time to enjoy picture books, too.

Three-year-olds eagerly follow the autumn worlds in picture books—with sparkling eyes—taking in the brightly colored leaves, the bountiful fruits, and moon-viewing scenes.

Here, we’re introducing picture books about autumn that you’ll want to enjoy together with three-year-olds.

We’ve picked titles that nurture imagination and help children feel the changing seasons through autumn’s nature and traditions.

Explore the world of autumn through picture books with your children!

Autumn Picture Books That 3-Year-Olds Will Love! A Recommended Read-Aloud Collection (1–10)

Delicious-looking moon viewing

http://www.amazon.co.jp

Children have such rich imaginations, don’t they? Even as adults, many of you probably saw all kinds of shapes in the clouds when you were kids.

In this picture book, the shapes of the moon inspire delicious food ideas.

Oranges, watermelons, donuts, takoyaki—there are so many round and tasty things, aren’t there? While reading this book aloud, be sure to ask the children what they see.

You’ll surely hear a flurry of wonderful answers.

And don’t forget to enjoy the moon’s own natural beauty, too.

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Drawing with fallen leaves

http://www.amazon.co.jp

We’d like to introduce a picture book that lets you freely enjoy drawing with autumn leaves.

Gathering and arranging leaves, and creating pictures that make use of their colors and shapes are depicted with gentle words and warm illustrations.

As children engage with nature, they expand their imagination and learn the joy of expression and the feel of working with their hands.

It’s perfect for reading together as a family, or for experiencing the world of the book outdoors while playing with fallen leaves—an ideal way to savor the season.

A book that lets both adults and children share the excitement of autumn.

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The moon just has to be perfectly round!

http://www.amazon.co.jp

The moon changes its appearance as it waxes and wanes.

In this picture book, a slender crescent moon appears.

Seeing it, an old woman declares, “The moon has to be nice and round!” and starts feeding it all sorts of things: vegetable soup, pizza, pasta, cream puffs…

Because the moon doesn’t quickly become round, she keeps cooking more and more dishes.

Thanks to her efforts, the moon gradually plumps up.

Will it become as perfectly round as the full moon on the night of the harvest moon?

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Kumakuma-kun’s Halloween

http://www.amazon.co.jp

This is a Halloween lift-the-flap book that even infants and toddlers can enjoy.

It seems that a little bear has wandered into a haunted house.

No one’s supposed to be there, but you can hear voices, and it feels like someone’s watching… As you read, you’ll want to imagine how fast the bear’s heart is pounding.

Also, when you slide the mechanisms, the pictures move, so look forward to seeing how the illustrations change.

The artwork is cute and the colors are vibrant, so you can soak up the fun Halloween atmosphere.

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Kuma-kun and Little Kuma’s Sweet Potato Digging

http://www.amazon.co.jp

A perfect autumn story about a bear parent and child digging sweet potatoes in a fall field.

It gently portrays the joy of digging in the soil to find warm, cozy sweet potatoes and the fun of working together, accompanied by soft, friendly illustrations.

Written in simple language that even small children can understand, it’s ideal for reading at nursery school, kindergarten, or at home with a parent and child, helping readers feel the warmth of nature and the seasons.

After finishing, it leaves you thinking, “I want to do that together again,” warming the heart.

A recommended book for those who want to enjoy autumn activities and parent–child time.

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Pill bug and the perfectly round moon

http://www.amazon.co.jp

Let me introduce a heartwarming picture book featuring a tiny pill bug as the hero.

In this story, the pill bug spots a perfectly round moon in the nighttime forest and, with a fluttering heart, musters the courage to set off on an adventure.

Gentle prose and warm illustrations will spark children’s curiosity and imagination.

It’s perfect for reading aloud to kids, and it’s a book that lets both adults and children share in “little courage” and “kind feelings.” Since it’s a nighttime tale, why not read it together with your child before bed?

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