Autumn picture books to enjoy with five-year-olds are filled with heartwarming charm.
As the leaves change color and the nights under the moon grow longer, it’s the perfect time for read-aloud sessions.
Through picture books, you can share moments that let you feel the changing seasons and the wonders of nature together—creating precious memories with children.
Here, we introduce autumn picture books that you can enjoy with five-year-olds.
Spending time with rich, seasonally themed picture books is also a wonderful opportunity to nurture children’s imagination.
Enjoy autumn to the fullest while answering their curious “Why?” and “How come?” questions!
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Enjoy Autumn Picture Books! A Collection of Ideas to Read with 5-Year-Olds (1–10)
Moon Viewing with Ten Frogs
For kids who love animals and insects, this picture book themed around moon-viewing—“10 Frogs and the Moon-Viewing”—is irresistible.
The ten frogs living in Gourd Marsh hear about moon-viewing from an elderly frog and decide to send invitations to everyone.
The ones delivering them are the red dragonflies, who are great at flying! On the long-awaited day, the frogs go to gather pampas grass, but on their way back they accidentally step on a snake’s tail.
It’s a delightful book that’s perfect for autumn festivities.
Read along and watch over the frogs to see whether they can enjoy their moon-viewing safely.
Oden Samurai (Chikuwa Scroll)
Set in Edo, where the autumn foliage is breathtaking, this story follows Oden Samurai Hirata Oden and his sidekick Kabuhei as they solve cases.
Just when they think they hear a woman’s scream, they learn a child has been abducted.
Hirata Oden searches for the child, but although he can hear the voice, he can’t see the child anywhere.
That’s when he pulls out the “Chikuwa of Justice.” Peering through the Chikuwa of Justice, he can see the child; meanwhile, Kabuhei, a rhinoceros beetle, flies off carrying the child.
Brimming with humor, it’s a picture book that children will find irresistibly fun.
Lurun the Little Ghost and the Halloween Friends
When it comes to Halloween picture books, the protagonists are often human children, but in this book the spotlight is on the ghosts.
Lurun the ghost is asked by a pumpkin ghost to join a Halloween party.
Lurun is very kind—encouraging the tearful pumpkin—but Lurun seems a little down, too…
What could be wrong? Both Lurun and the pumpkin ghost are utterly endearing, and this is a heartwarming, wonderful story.
A perfect book to enjoy during the Halloween season.
God’s glasses
This is a story about the gods set at Izumo Taisha in October.
In the old lunar calendar, October is called Kannazuki, “the month without gods,” but in Izumo it’s called Kamiarizuki, “the month with gods.” The reason is that, come October, deities from all over Japan gather in Izumo.
In this tale, various gods appear and put on glasses given to them by an optician.
Apparently, when they wear the glasses, they can see all sorts of things they couldn’t before.
What did the gods see? It’s an exciting autumn read that will keep you turning the pages in anticipation.
Kuroneko Kuro’s Halloween Party
The Halloween picture book Black Cat Kuro’s Halloween Party features all sorts of cats! Dressed up in cute costumes, the cats go around saying “Trick or treat” and collecting sweets, then enjoy dancing at a Halloween party.
But when they drop a pumpkin and make it angry, the party turns into a big commotion.
Alongside the adorable cats, Halloween staples like pumpkins and witches also make an appearance.
The delicately drawn illustrations are another highlight!
Mel the Witch and the Shining Soup
The Halloween picture book “Mel the Witch and the Shining Soup” tells the story of Mel the witch meeting a boy and embarking on a mysterious adventure.
Although Mel is a witch, she isn’t very good at magic.
She tries to cheer up a downcast boy by casting a spell, but, just as you might expect, it goes terribly wrong.
But thanks to that mishap, a mysterious door is opened.
So, what kind of adventure will Mel and the boy begin? With its enchanting elements like magic and witches, plus the kind of adventure kids love, this is surely a delightful read.
The Waste-Not Grandma Goes to the Forest
How about reading a picture book that lets you feel the change of seasons this autumn reading season? In this work, the Mottainai Grandma teaches all sorts of nature play while saying “what a waste.” The seasons featured are spring and autumn.
In spring, there are flower crowns made from white clover, hunts for four-leaf clovers, and make-believe using wildflowers.
In autumn, children look at fallen leaves and guess which trees they came from, and have fun with a fallen-leaf “blanket.” As children grow, they tend to spend more time on activities like videos and games, but we hope they won’t forget to savor the joys of nature as well.