Fall Favorites
Three seasonal picture books worth a spot in your October read-aloud stack: one about Halloween without the pressure, one that puts the alphabet in costume, and one autumn mystery with a punchline.
The Bad Seed Presents: The Good, the Bad, and the Spooky
Halloween is Seed’s favorite holiday, but this year it comes with pressure. Now that he’s a bigger kid, the group costumes he used to share with his friends are over, and he wants a costume of his own that’s perfect. The more he looks at everyone else’s, the less his own ideas measure up.
“Halloween is more than costumes and candy.”
Jory John, The Good, the Bad, and the Spooky
Comparing ourselves to others shows up early, and Jory John gives children a character who feels it out loud. Pete Oswald’s Seed says a lot with his eyebrows alone, so young listeners can read the worry on his face before the words name it. The book lands on a fuller idea of the holiday: crunching through leaves, decorating, being together, and belonging to a community. That shift gives teachers and families a natural place to pause and ask children when they’ve felt they had to be the best, and what they love about a celebration that has nothing to do with winning. I recommend it for Pre-K through third grade, especially in the days before a costume parade or class party.
Tips for Reading Aloud
- Read the faces. Pause on Oswald’s close-ups and ask what Seed’s expression tells you about how he feels.
- Slow down at the turn. When Seed’s thinking starts to change, ease your pace so listeners hear the shift.
Discussion Questions
Grades Pre-K–1- Why does Seed want a perfect costume?
- Besides costumes and candy, what do you like about fall?
- Have you ever compared yourself to someone else? How did it feel?
- What helps Seed stop treating Halloween like a competition?
Chicka Chicka Tricka Treat
The letters from Chicka Chicka Boom Boom are back, and this time they’re dressed for Halloween. In Julien Chung’s companion book, which he both wrote and illustrated, each letter wears a costume, and the letters spook, startle, and play off one another in rhyming verse.
Letter recognition sticks through repetition and play, and this book offers plenty of both. The rhyme and the chant from the original invite listeners to join in, and a costume gives each letter its own personality, which helps young children connect a letter’s shape to its name. Invite students to call out letters as they spot them, and the read-aloud becomes active practice instead of listening alone. Families who already know the original will enjoy hearing the rhythm return in a new season. I recommend it for Pre-K through second grade, and it’s a natural fit for an October alphabet center.
Tips for Reading Aloud
- Let them call it out. Point to each letter before you read its line and let students name it first.
- Keep the beat. Tap the rhythm on your knee and pause before the rhyming word so listeners can fill it in.
Discussion Questions
Grades Pre-K–K- Which letter’s costume was your favorite? Why?
- Find the first letter of your name. What costume would you give it?
- Which words in the story rhyme?
- Think of a fall or Halloween word that starts with your favorite letter.
The Leaf Thief
Squirrel loves his tree, so when one of his leaves goes missing, he’s certain someone took it. What follows is a frantic and very funny investigation as Squirrel questions his woodland neighbors one by one, while his friend Bird tries to calm him down.
“Look around you, the leaf thief is everywhere.”
Alice Hemming, The Leaf Thief
Here, humor does the teaching. Children laugh at Squirrel’s rising panic while learning what trees do every fall once their leaves turn red, orange, and gold. Nicola Slater’s Squirrel grows more wide-eyed with every page, and each accusation is a chance to stop and let listeners predict who, or what, is really behind it. Save the last page for a beat of silence before you turn it: it made me laugh out loud, and I think your listeners will feel the same. The back matter then reveals the real leaf thief, explaining what happens this time of year both here and on the opposite side of the world, and how different wildlife are affected. That makes it easy to carry the story into a fall science lesson or a leaf walk. I recommend this quick read for Pre-K through third grade.
Tips for Reading Aloud
- Give them two voices. Make Squirrel loud and breathless and Bird slow and calm so listeners hear the contrast.
- Pause before each answer. Let students guess whether each neighbor took the leaf before you read on.
Discussion Questions
Grades Pre-K–1- Where do you think Squirrel’s leaves really went?
- Have you seen leaves change near your home or school?
- How does Bird help Squirrel when he’s worried?
- How did your guess about the leaf thief change as you read?