Our Favorite Fall Books for Kids

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Autumn: Leaves Fall From the Trees

I first discovered Autumn: Leaves Fall From the Trees by Lisa Bell book at the library, and it is so fun! Not only are the illustrations wonderful and totally evoke feelings of fall, but the best part about it is that it comes with a cd to listen to the book sung as a song. My son loved this book as a preschooler, and I just got a copy for our home that I’m so excited to share with my daughter, who is 4. It seems to be out of print (sadly), but I have seen some copies floating around used on Amazon and eBay. You could also check out the publisher’s website, Cantata Learning, to see if they are still selling copies.

Goodbye Summer, Hello Autumn

Goodbye Summer, Hello Autumn by Kenard Pan is a really simple book with pretty illustrations. It definitely brings fall to life across its pages, and of the author’s “Goodbye, Hello” series, this one is by far my favorite! It’s worth an addition to any toddler or preschooler’s bookshelf.

The Artists

So many books that I love have come from the library, and The Artists: Tales from the Hidden Valley by Carles Porta is no exception. One day while I was browsing the children’s section, I came across it, and I love, love, love the whimsical story of this book! Plus, the illustrations are so beautiful! It is really colorful and definitely evokes feelings of fall. I love the other books in this series as well: Hello Mister Cold, The Band, and Under the Water.

These next 3 are anthology books. They have stories/sections for each season.

Nature’s Day

Nature’s Day: Discover the World of Wonder On your Doorstep by Kay Maguire and Danielle Kroll is a nonfiction book with sections for each season. I really like the illustrations, and then it has little snippets about the different topics in that season. Fall focuses on the changing leaves, birds and butterflies that go south for the winter, and harvest items. Penelope’s class was talking about butterflies going south for the winter, and we saw a big flock of geese earlier this week, so I’d like to pull this one out again to look at and talk about. The nice thing is that each page is pretty self-contained, which I like because sometimes I only want to read one page at a time, rather than feeling like I have to read the whole book at once.

Little Witch Hazel

Little Witch Hazel: A Year in the Forest by Phoebe Wahl was a gift for Penelope last Christmas. I recently added it to our pile of fall books, and I really enjoyed the Autumn story. The illustrations definitely evoked fall, and I thought it was a very sweet version of a spooky story for kids. I think Finn and Penelope enjoyed it. :)

A Year in Brambly Hedge: Autumn Story

I don’t have any photos of this one because I got this from the library a few years ago and then forgot about it. Then, earlier this summer I got a copy of Wilfred’s Rescue from the library, and I could not shake the feeling that I had seen this book before. Well, it turns out I had not seen this particular book before, but I had read a different Brambly Hedge story, the Autumn Story. All of Jill Barkley’s Brambly Hedge books are adorable! There is a beautiful 40th Anniversary edition, The Complete Brambly Hedge, that I put on our Christmas wishlist, but you can also get a set with just the four seasons books—A Year in Brambly Hedge.

Do you have any favorite kid’s books for the fall season?

On Not Finishing A Book

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Not finishing a book is a grave sin.

That's what I used to think. Now, though, I feel very differently.

Reading is a hobby for me, and I only have so much time that I can put toward reading in any given day/week/year. If I spend time slogging through a book that I’m not interested in or enjoying, I have not used my time well. I could have spent that time on numerous other books that I did enjoy, or provoked interesting thoughts, or that I decided I didn’t like but at least had me engaged during the reading process. For me, it just is not worth it to try to get through a book I’m not enjoying. I want to use that precious time for a book I am interested in.

Also, I’ve come to realize that sometimes I’m just not that into a book for whatever reason, but if I circle back to it another time, I may greatly enjoy it. And it’s ok to put a book aside that you just aren't in the mood for. For example, I tried to read, “Station Eleven” by Emily St. John Mandel two different times, was not into it, put it aside, and tried a third time when I was feeling interested in that genre. Guess what?! I loved it! But if I had tried to get through it the first time, when I was not into it, I don’t think I would have enjoyed it nearly as much. I’ve also started and given up on “Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell” by Susanna Clarke twice now. I just cannot get into it. I do hope to give it one more try at some point in the future, but for now, I’ve just put it off my list.

Now, don’t get me wrong, there are some books that I start that are slow going. Perhaps it is the writing style; perhaps the content is different than I thought. Any number of factors can contribute to it. Usually, though, I can tell if it is slow and I want to push through to get further into the book before I make a decision. But if I am consistently avoiding the book, I take that as a sign that I’m not interested in it. Sometimes, I start a book and just immediately know, “Nope. I’m not in the mood for this.” I put it aside right then and go for something else.

I used to feel so guilty about not finishing a book, and I talk with many people who feel the same way. I want to encourage you, though, that it is your time and your hobby, and it is perfectly fine to not finish a book. Just let it go and move on. Find something that does grab your interest! There’s nothing worse than languishing in a book you aren’t enjoying, and there is nothing more wonderful than getting lost in a good book!

So, tell me, do you feel that you must finish a book once you’ve started reading it?

3 Books I've Enjoyed So Far This Year

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While I have still been reading regularly this year, it has been much more start-and-stop than last year. (You can see all of the books I read last year here.) However, there have been 3 stand-outs so far this year that I wanted to share with you.

The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart

I don’t recall where I came across The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart by Holly Ringland, but it kept showing up in my recommendations on ebay. One day when I was trying to think of a book to read, I decided to order it. It has been my favorite book of 2021! I will be surprised if something surpasses it. It is quite sad at points, but it is also brilliantly written and a beautiful story of a young woman seeking to find herself. It is set in Australia, which was a really different location than I am familiar with, so that was a fun little surprise. I will leave you with this brief synopsis from Amazon to whet your appetite—”Spanning two decades, set between sugar cane fields by the sea, a native Australian flower farm, and a celestial crater in the central desert, The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart follows Alice’s unforgettable journey, as she learns that the most powerful story she will ever possess is her own.”

To buy: In Paperback; on Kindle

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The Glittering Hour

I finished The Glittering Hour by Iona Grey a few weeks ago. I found it on a display at the library and ended up really enjoying it. It was one of those books I stayed up late to finish. I am always up for a historical fiction, but this one was set in a time period I don’t have much experience with—1930s & 1940s England. The main character, Selina Lennox, is a Bright Young Thing, but that doesn’t mean she has a perfect or even an easy life. “Spanning two decades and a seismic shift in British history as World War II approaches, Iona Grey's The Glittering Hour is an epic novel of passion, heartache and loss.” I thought it was well written, and I liked how the story unfolded. It was sad at the end but also hopeful and endearing. It would make a great end-of-summer read!

To buy: In Hardcover; on Kindle

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After Alice Fell

After Alice Fell by Kim Taylor Blakemore was such a strange but fascinating book. I read it earlier this year and have periodically thought about it since then. At first, I would have said I didn’t like it, but after finishing it and thinking through some of the discussion questions that were included at the end of the book, I decided that I did like it. At its heart, it is a mystery, but it has elements of a historical fiction based on its setting in New Hampshire after the Civil War. The writing style of it was very different than anything I have read—it was very truncated and although each character is motivated by emotions, they all feel very removed from emotion. It was almost like the main character, Marion, had blinders on. That’s how it felt a bit. Overall, it was an interesting storyline, and it made me think a lot about how we have become disconnected from our dead (and how that’s probably not a good thing, especially in light of the fear mongering surrounding the coronavirus). If you are in the mood for something different as well as a good mystery, you should look into it.

To buy: In Paperback; on Kindle

If you have any favorites that you’ve read so far this year, I’d love to hear!

The Books I Read in 2020

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I go through phases where I read and then I don’t. 2020 kicked off with a major reading boom! And it just didn’t quit. I read over 35 books this year. I’m fairly confident that is a personal record. Here’s what I read in 2020.

The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare

  • City of Bones

  • City of Ashes

  • City of Glass

  • City of Fallen Angels

  • City of Lost Souls

  • City of Heavenly Fire

A few years ago, I found a book at the library called City of Bones. It had a really cool cover and was on the free book cart as I was heading out the door. It caught my attention so I grabbed it, but when I got home I stuck it on the shelf and forgot about it. Right around New Years Eve, I was looking for a book to read and browsed through my shelves to see what I hadn’t read yet. This book grabbed my attention once again, and I decided to go for it. And I’m so glad I did! I loved this series so much! (Here’s the wikipedia page with a synopsis.) It was action packed, and the world that Cassandra Clare creates is rich and interesting and super intriguing. The main cast of characters are fun and funny and endearing, all things I like in characters. When I finished the last book in the series, City of Heavenly Fire, I wasn’t quite ready to be done with the Shadowhunter world, so I decided to read a trilogy that is set a few years in the future.

To buy: The Mortal Instruments, The Complete Collection (paperback); Individual books on Kindle—Book 1. Book 2. Book 3. Book 4. Book 5. Book 6.

The Dark Artifices series by Cassandra Clare

  • Lady Midnight

  • Lord of Shadows

  • Queen of Air and Darkness

This series is set a few years after The Mortal Instruments series. It focuses on a new set of characters but also brings in some of the main characters from The Mortal Instruments series. I liked this series even more than the original one, and I felt like it truly “ended” the full series of books. You could probably read just these books, but I think you would enjoy them much more if you read the other series first.

To buy: The Dark Artifices, The Complete Paperback Collection. Individual books on Kindle—Lady Midnight. Lord of Shadows. Queen of Air and Darkness.

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

From there, I totally changed genres and read Little Women. I’m sure I read this a long time ago, but I didn't really remember it. It took a few pages to get into it, but then I devoured it! I know some people think it’s a little corny, but I think the story is so endearing. You have to watch the PBS mini series after you read the book because it’s my favorite and totally the best tv adaptation!

To buy: Little Women paperback via Barnes and Noble. Masterpiece—Little Women DVD.

The Summer Before the War by Helen Simonson

And then because I was in the mood for another historical fiction novel, I went for The Summer Before the War. It’s been on my list for a long time, and it just seemed interesting. I really enjoyed it. If you like period pieces, this is a really cute story. It’s a bit sad, but overall, it’s a quick read and very endearing.

To buy: Paperback; Kindle

Good Night, Mr. Wodehouse by Faith Sullivan

Sticking with the historical fiction genre, I read Good Night, Mr. Wodehouse. This book is set in a small town in Minnesota and spans a long time period. Overall, I don’t tend to like historical fictions that cover such a long span of time, but this one was decent. I liked the main character, and I was genuinely interested to know what would happen to her. It’s definitely a slow burn, though and probably isn’t for everyone. I’d give it 3.5 stars (out of 5).

To Buy: Paperback; Kindle

Sookie Stackhouse Novels by Charlaine Harris

  • Dead Until Dark

  • Living Dead in Dallas

  • Club Dead

  • Dead to the World

  • Dead as a Doornail

  • Definitely Dead

  • All Together Dead

  • From Dead to Worse

  • Dead and Gone

  • Dead in the Family

  • Dead Reckoning

  • Deadlocked

  • Dead Ever After

After that I devoured the Sookie Stackhouse novels. Set in a small town in Louisiana, Sookie Stackhouse discovers that vampires and werewolves are real, and she has some unexplained powers of her own. There’s vampires, there’s a good love story, there’s suspense and mystery. Also, Sookie is a lovable, smart, funny main character. I read every spare minute I could find because I loved these books so much. Dylan and I watched the HBO series True Blood a few years ago, and we both agreed that Eric Northman, played by Alexander Scarsgaard, is one of our favorite tv characters of all time. He’s charming and witty and just perfect. We knew the series was based on books, and one day Dylan surprised me with the set. The books are different from the show, but I really liked them. One disclaimer: the genre is Southern Gothic Romance, and it does have some intense sex scenes. So take that into consideration.

To Buy: Sookie Stackhouse Complete Series (Books 1–13 paperback set)

After I finished the Sookie Stackhouse novels, I was still in the mood for something spooky/mysterious, so I tried to read Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, but I hated it and stopped about 30% in.

From there, I jumped to …

Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery

My sister and I decided to read Anne of Green Gables together, and I thought it was really cute! I do have to admit that I was a bit annoyed by her in the beginning perpetually talking about her imagination, but at the same time, she grew on me. She’s very endearing! I can definitely see reading this book with Penelope when she’s a little older and talking through some of the lessons that Anne learns. Maybe someday I will read the other books in the series. If you are going to buy the book, I highly recommend the Barnes and Noble collectible edition (linked just below). It has a beautiful cover and is a very good quality book.

(One side note: I started to watch the Netflix series Anne, after I finished the book, and I turned if off partway through the second episode. It is terrible! They twist a lot of the story around, change integral parts, and they make her out to have mental struggles. I would love to find an old adaptation at some point, but I haven’t taken the time to look. But just know, the Netflix one is not worth your time.)

To buy: Anne of Green Gables (Collectible Edition) from Barnes and Noble

The Vacationers by Emma Straub

I found a copy of The Vacationers by Emma Straub at Goodwill for $0.99. It was an easy read, but I decided I didn’t care for it. I was actually a bit disappointed. I was expecting a funny book, and it was definitely not. I personally would not recommend it.

The Last of the Moon Girls by Barbara Davis

After that I came across The Last of the Moon Girls, and I breezed through it. I really enjoyed it. It was a nice mix of suspense/mystery, as well as a ‘finding yourself’ story. I liked the main character, I liked the setting on their family farm, I liked the mystery that needed to be solved. I would recommend this one highly.

To Buy: Paperback; Kindle

Her Final Words by Brianna Labuskes

From there I turned to Her Final Words, which I had gotten through the Amazon First Reads program. The premise of it was very intriguing. I think I liked it overall, but I will say that it felt a bit forced, maybe. I’m not sure the best way to describe it. The mystery of the story was well conceived and super interesting. I really didn’t know who did it until the end. However, the main character was a flat, very stereotypical FBI agent. I wished her character would have been developed more, or at least didn’t feel so stereotypical. Overall, I would say I enjoyed it. If you are in the mood for a suspense, it is worth a try.

To Buy: Paperback; Kindle

Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman

I was in a ‘magic’ mood because I was still thinking about The Last of the Moon Girls, so I decided to read Practical Magic. It had been on my list for a while, and I was always intrigued by the premise, but it never grabbed me. I was generally interested, though, and decided to go for it. I would give it 3 out of 5 stars. It was fine and interesting, but it was also very weird and totally not what I thought. I am also not a huge fan of stories that span a lifetime/long time period, so that probably played into it. The end 1/3 was super interesting and probably made the whole book worth it. So, do with that what you will. Ha!

To Buy: Paperback; Kindle

All Souls Trilogy by Deborah Harkness

  • A Discovery of Witches

  • Shadow of Night

  • The Book of Life

I came across the All Souls Trilogy when I was browsing through Amazon. I noticed they were making it into a show with Matthew Goode, and I was intrigued. I thought about this book series a good deal after I finished it. I think I decided I would give it 3 out of 5 stars. More specifically, I would give the first book 3 stars, the second book 3.5 stars, and the third book 4 stars. I don’t regret reading it, but it’s hard to recommend it, and I honestly cannot believe it has so many high reviews on Amazon. It must be a niche genre that I just don’t appreciate as much as other people. I personally felt that the world she created was super intriguing, but her overall writing style was way too wordy. I think she could have cut her content down dramatically to make the books faster paced; it would have been better off and much more interesting. I also felt that the main character, Diana, was a bit flat. Part of the storyline is supposed to be a bit of a ‘finding herself’ story, but it just fell flat in my opinion. You’re supposed to get the impression, through the eyes of the other characters, that Diana is super interesting, but she just doesn’t come off that way. The cast of supporting characters really carries the book in my opinion. That said, I do still want to check out the tv series because I think the world might better translate to video, and they could show things without the long descriptions in the book.

To Buy: Paperback; Kindle

Where’d You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple

This was a re-read for me, but I remembered liking it so much that I pulled Where’d You Go, Bernadette up on my Kindle and read it again just for fun. I am hoping to watch the movie soon. This book is quirky and fast paced and just fun.

To Buy: Paperback; Kindle

Molly's Game: The True Story of the 26-Year-Old Woman Behind the Most Exclusive, High-Stakes Underground Poker Game in the World by Molly Bloom

I stayed up way too late a couple of nights in a row reading Molly’s Game because it was so fun and mind boggling. The tone of the book is very fast paced, almost frantic. The tension is palpable, and I just couldn’t put it down. It’s a quick, fun read, and super interesting!

To Buy: Paperback; Kindle

The Spellman Files: Document #1 by Lisa Lutz

At the beginning of November I was really hoping for a new book to read, and my sister and I looked into fun, light-hearted books. I came across one called The Spellman Files: Document 1 by Lisa Lutz. It was totally kooky, and I wasn’t sure how I felt about it part-way through, but it picked up quite a bit about 30% in. I really liked it—it was totally different than most books I read; it was funny; it was sweet in its own weird way. Definitely worth a read if you want something off the beaten path.

To Buy: Paperback; Kindle

North and South (Audiobook) by Elizabeth Gaskell

I contemplated reading the next The Spellman Files book when I finished the first one, but I decided to go a different route and listen to an audiobook while I was doing some house projects/doing the dishes. I chose North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell. As you may remember from my post, My Favorite Historical Fiction Shows & Movies, I absolutely love the tv series of North & South. It is one of my favorite love stories of all time. Overall, I liked the book, although it was slightly different than the tv series. My one critique is that I didn’t really care for how the narrator portrayed Mr. Thornton in the ending. It just seemed kinda off from his overall character. That being said, I enjoyed listening to it, and I enjoyed doing dishes because I could have an ‘excuse’ to listen. :) Someday, I would be interested to read it for myself and interpret Mr. Thornton for myself, but in the meantime, my desire for historical fiction was sated.

To Buy: Audiobook

Emma by Jane Austen

To close out the year, my sister and I decided to read Emma by Jane Austen. I love the tv mini series with Romola Garai, but I am somewhat ashamed to say that I had never read the book. I found it hard to get into the story, but once I did, I enjoyed it. Her writing style is very different from Pride & Prejudice, but it felt fitting with the more flighty characters portrayed throughout. Overall, I liked it, and I would recommend it to anyone who liked Pride & Prejudice or generally likes an English love story. Mr. Knightley has my heart. :)

To Buy: Kindle; Jane Austen: Seven Novels (Collectible Edition) from Barnes and Noble

Now I’m on the hunt for a good read to cozy up with after the kids go to bed. If you have any recommendations or books you’ve been intrigued by recently, I’d love to hear!

Kid's Book Review: The Insect Detective

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We love books around here, and kid’s books are no exception. I wanted to share this book with you all because we really enjoyed it, and it feels fitting for summertime. We borrowed it from our local library, but I would definitely add it to our personal collection at some point. Without further ado, I give you, “The Insect Detective” by Steve Voake. (You can find it on Amazon here.)

The book has a simple story about how any child can be an insect detective, and then it goes on to talk about a few common bugs that kids have probably encountered already—bees, wasps, and dragonflies, to name a few. I appreciated that it included information about the various insects, but it was definitely accessible to a child and not dry or overly textbook-like. It also explained words that kids might not have learned yet, like “solitary means alone”.

The illustrations are stunning! They maintain a very simple aesthetic and yet are so beautiful in person (my photos do not do them justice at all).

This was my favorite spread. The pond and water lilies were so beautifully painted.

And then it concludes with a few simple ways that children can practically become an insect detective. Although Finn (age 4) could follow the story and information, I felt a few of these activities were probably for older children to be able to do on their own or concentrate for longer periods of time to watch an insect. That being said, I think an inquisitive child of 3 up through an elementary-schooler could enjoy this book.

I would love to know if you have read any good ‘bug’ books recently! Finn is very interested in bugs currently.