Our Cosy Top Ten Autumn Books for Kids

The nights are drawing in, the leaves are changing colour and fluttering down to the ground, and I’m thinking about digging out the hats, scarves and gloves for the cooler days ahead. I’m craving curling up with the little ones after school with blankets and some home baked cake. Autumn is well and truly here, and it’s time to share our cosy top ten autumn books for kids

I love sharing seasonal books for early years and younger primary school children in our seasonal play posts each month, but it’s been a while since I updated this list. So here are our cosy autumn books for kids, now with a few Halloween favourites too.

They are some of our current favourites for curling up, enjoying gorgeous illustrations and thoughtful plots, or for filling our autumn days with activities.

Updated October 2026. One of our favourite seasonal book lists, refreshed with a few new spooky and cosy favourites.

Books can become an expensive hobby, so I’d always start with your local library, which is wonderful for trying a book before you commit to buying it. Second hand sellers such as World of Books are also a lovely way to pick up old favourites for less. We don’t have a good independent bookshop nearby, which I wish we did, so a trip to an actual bookshop is a real treat for us. There is nothing quite like letting the children wander the shelves and choose one to take home.

I have linked my Autumn wish list to some of these titles where you can purchase on Bookshop.org where I have an affiliate link.

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I have linked my Autumn wish list to some of these titles where you can purchase on a more independent bookseller site Bookshop.org where I also have an affiliate link for purchases.

1. Goodbye Summer, Hello Autumn by Kenard Pak

I love this slow introduction to autumn. The little girl says goodbye to summer and greets the new season ahead in a series of conversations with flora, fauna and the weather. The story flows beautifully along with the gorgeous illustrations. One to collect from the series of seasonal tales by Kenard Pak.

2. The Nursery Collection: Autumn by Shirley Hughes

These nursery collection books are pure nostalgia for me and ones that I love to share with my children. A glorious set of poems focusing on harvest time through to bonfire night. It gives you all the cosy feels of wrapping up and exploring outside in all of nature’s glory. A firm favourite of ours alongside the other seasonal tales by Shirley.

3. Little Goose’s Autumn by Elli Woollard

This story is about a little goose who, after a summer of fun, is now exploring her place in the big wide world. The muted autumnal illustrations from Briony May Smith are as gorgeous as Elli Woollard’s autumn story.

4. Autumn Story, from the Brambly Hedge Collection by Jill Barklem

I remember enjoying these stories from my own childhood, so being able to share them with my children is just delightful. It’s a collection that will remain on our bookshelves for our grandchildren in years to come. A walk through the British hedgerows complete with an adventure makes this book a must have. If your littles love a Peter Rabbit tale, then these stories will also get their imaginations whirring.

5. Pick a Pumpkin by Patricia Toht

We are big fans of the Christmas book Pick a Pine Tree by Patricia Toht, so we just had to get our hands on the pumpkin version. This was a new one for us, and I shared it with our little ones on the morning that we went pumpkin picking. Pumpkin picking has become such a big part of our October adventures that it deserves a fun story to go with it, and this was most definitely it.

6. The Little Ghost Who Was a Quilt by Riel Nason

A tale of a little ghost who feels very different and goes on a journey of discovery over Halloween, with an experience that could only happen because he’s a quilt. A great book for touching on how to appreciate each other’s differences.

7. How to Make Friends with a Ghost by Rebecca Green

A helpful guide to making sure your supernatural friendship lasts for ever and beyond. It’s a very amusing step by step guide to getting along nicely with a ghost, and it really entertained me as well as the children. I look forward to more titles from illustrator and now author Rebecca.

8. The Skull by Jon Klassen

This is a delightfully eerie one for children who enjoy a proper spooky tale. Jon Klassen has retold an old Tyrolean folktale from the Alpine region of Austria and Italy, and his dry humour runs all the way through it. A brave girl called Otilla runs away from danger and finds a big abandoned house on a barren hill, where a skull lives. It is shadowy and atmospheric, longer than a usual picture book, and one to read first if you have sensitive little ones. It’s best for older children who like to feel a shiver.

9. Funnybones by Janet and Allan Ahlberg

A classic skeleton adventure, and one I remember from my own childhood. It follows a family of skeletons and their little skeleton dog, and it is silly rather than scary, which makes it a perfect first Halloween story for younger readers and gets them making up their own versions from the catchy prose.

10. An Autumn Treasury of Recipes, Crafts and Wisdom by Angela Ferraro-Fanning

First off, I love that this book is made in the UK and is 100% recycled, ticking the eco credentials box. It will grow with your little one. Although the illustrations are pitched slightly on the younger side, the book itself is perfect for children up to ten, so it’s one that can be brought out each year. It’s perfect for older ones to read through by themselves and attempt the wholesome activities, which include basket weaving, making lip balm and candles, and ideas for using up harvest crops. It’s packed full of autumn facts and is perfect for hygge moments.

Bonus two books – I lied when I said ten!

11. The Gruffalo Autumn and Winter Nature Trail

This is an activity book pitched at younger ones. It’s a sticker activity trail book that we bring out each year and complete a bit more. It’s perfect for getting little ones motivated to go on a walk, and for exploring and increasing their nature knowledge, and my own. It also has some simple and wholesome activity ideas.

12. Sleep Tight Farm by Eugenie Doyle

We started this list on a book moving from summer to autumn, so it’s only fitting we end on one that is preparing for the winter months. This is one of my favourites, mainly because I would totally move to this homestead in a heartbeat. It takes you through all the preparation that goes into getting a farm, its crops and its animals ready, from harvest time to winter. It’s a great introduction to how we can be thankful for the effort that growers go to so that there is food on our tables. I also love the details in the illustrations, which give you lots of opportunities for conversation with your little one on each page.

I hope our cosy autumn and Halloween book list has introduced you to one or two new reads that you and your children can enjoy together. I would love to hear what books you and your children are enjoying this autumn, so do leave a comment below