Children's Picture Books to Read in September
Welcome to this month’s story list — a small recommendation of children’s picture books and themes helping you to create a seasonal book shelf for your baby, toddler, or preschooler.
Each month brings new energy and themes outside in nature, and so I try to curate a list of children’s books that encompass these cyclical themes - or at least loosely! It will give you lots of topics to talk and get curious about.
My aim is to encourage a love for reading, curiosity and learning as well as to offer inspiration for creating a monthly book shelf, rooted in nature’s rhythm.
Why Seasonal Reading Matters for Little Ones
I don’t think learning about the seasons is getting your child to mindlessly recite the months of the year… it should be about getting them to spot nature’s rhythms and understand the struggles nature has to go through whenever the weather changes. As we’re so removed from nature these days, I think this is really important for young children to notice and learn about.
Reading stories tied to the season helps children to feel connected with what’s going on around them - the weather, the colours, the food, the animals, and so on.
Creating a seasonal book shelf also helps with rotating books which makes reading time more interesting and engaging!
September Shelfie
Book display of the month with themes for September such as food, harvest, back to school, curiosity, learning and getting cosy again.
September Themes to Explore With Young Children
Every month I write a list of themes and keywords which can be used as starting points when visiting the library, creating toddler activities or simply as topics to observe and chat about.
September brings the transition from summer to autumn. Although, I’m always sad to say goodbye to the spring and summer seasons and merge into the darkness and hibernation of autumn and winter, I actually quite like September as a month! It provides us with a routine again after lazy summer days, it’s warm but cosy at the same time, there’s a sudden need for curiosity and learning (that back-to-school or academic new year vibe), and nature feels like it’s in abundance all over again.
September feels like it has a gentle busyness energy about it. It’s like a quiet beginning to the darker half of the year that animals have to prepare for.
Nature is full of abundance: apples, pears, plums, blackberries, heavy hedgerows, golden fields and the first few autumn leaves drifting down. It’s a time for baking, gathering, foraging, tidying, and settling into comforting routines again.
Here’s the list for September!
SOFT AUTUMN (FIRST MONTH OF AUTUMN)
SUMMER -> AUTUMN TRANSITION
AUTUMN EQUINOX
HARVEST ~ GRATITUDE
ABUNDANCE OF FOOD TO GATHER & FORAGE
COOKING ~ BAKING
COOLER MORNINGS ~ SHORTER EVENINGS ~ GETTING COSY
EARLY SUNSETS
NEUTRAL COLOUR PALETTE (SOFT AUTUMN) FULL OF WARM, MUTED SHADES
DAPPLED LIGHT & LONGER SHADOWS
BACK-TO-SCHOOL AND NEW YEAR FEELING OF BEGINNING AND RESETTING
PREPARING FOR WINTER / HIBERNATION
ENERGY LEVELS GRADUALLY SLOWING DOWN
ROUTINE
LEARNING ~ CURIOSITY ~ FOCUS ~ GROWTH
BLACKBERRY, APPLE, PLUM & PEAR PICKING
Best Children’s Picture Books to Read in September
Little Goose’s Autumn
Elli Woollard & Briony May Smith
My very favourite! This is such a beautiful story with lyrical text and the most captivating illustrations using all the cosy, warm autumnal colours. This book follows the little goose who hasn’t experienced the transition of summer to autumn before and has to find her place in the world during this new season; it’s about the call of migration for geese. I’ve been reading this book to my 3-year-old every autumn since he was almost a year old! We love it.
age 2 to 6 years
picture book
rhyming, longer text
daytime or bedtime
part of a series - goes with Little Bear’s Spring
Cat’s Cookbook ~ Acorn Woods Series
Julia Donaldson & Axel Scheffler
Part of the Acorn Woods series, this story follows Cat to the library to find a cookbook. It explores the different types of books you can find along with the usual lift-the-flap interaction. This has the usual simplistic, rhyming text and fun woodland animal characters.
age 1 to 5 years
lift-the-flap board book
short, rhyming text
best read during the day
part of the Acorn Woods series
Old Bear ~ Old Bear Stories
Jane Hissey
This is the first book in the Old Bear series - a timeless classic. The story is about the usual group of soft toys who rescue their friend, Old Bear, from the attic. The illustrations are cosy, gentle and highly detailed using pencil. It’s very comforting and calm to read, easing children into the quieter energy of autumn. I love these books as they feel nostalgic to me (being a millennial!) and remind me of slower child’s play full of innovation, creativity and fun experiments.
age 2 to 5 years
classic picture book
longer, old-fashioned (calm, slow-paced) text
daytime or bedtime read
part of the classic Old Bear series from the 1980s and 1990s
Teddy & the Fireman
Anne McKie (Grandreams)
Another nostalgic and retro recommendation! This one is part of series I read as child in the nineties. The illustrations are fairly iconic and vintage watercolour style - you may recognise them (they also illustrated a version of The Wind in the Willows). The text is rhyming and playful. The stories are about a little teddy bear and his adventures. This one has a very autumn feel.
age 12 months to 4 years
classic, retro picture book
longer, rhyming text
daytime or bedtime read
part of a classic Teddy series from the 1990s
Paddington
Michael Bond & R. W. Alley
I’ll be honest, we haven’t read this one yet as I found it a little too slow-paced last year. This is the original story of a marmalade-loving bear who arrives from Peru and finds a home with the Brown family. Paddington is a lovely, curious book character to get to know. It ties in well with September as it fits the themes of facing a new routine, getting to know new friends (if starting preschool or school), and navigating unfamiliar places.
age 3 to 6 years
classic board book or picture book
longer, slow-paced text
daytime read
part of the Paddington series
The Tiger Who Came to Tea
Judith Kerr
This one is a fun and imaginative story about tiger who randomly drops in for tea and eats everything in your home. I like the concept that the mum and daughter have probably come up with this elaborate story for not doing a food shop or cooking dinner for the dad when he returns from work; it’s a great excuse to eat out instead! The food references and warmth of the illustrations make it a perfect story for the start of autumn.
age 2 to 6 years
classic board book or picture book
gentle and descriptive text
daytime read
standalone title
You & Me, Little Bear
Martin Waddell & Barbara Firth
This book is part of a series of stories about the Big Bear and Little Bear and I’d highly recommend collecting the lot! (You may have to search around for some titles secondhand, however).
The series captures the special relationship between a parent and child. The bear cub is very relatable to an infant or toddler (perfect for age 1 to 4 years). The text is clever yet simplistic and the illustrations are beautifully rough, warm and so, so cosy… my favourite children’s picture books by far.
This story is about Little Bear wanting Big Bear to play with him but Big Bear has a lot of chores to do first, so Little Bear has to join in and then learn to play on his own for a while. I’m sure we can all relate to this one!
age 18 months to 6 years
picture book
clever, repetitive and fairly short text
daytime or bedtime read
part of a series Big Bear & Little Bear
The Highway Rat
Julia Donaldson & Axel Scheffler
This is another classic by Donaldson and Scheffler! This one is a funny and bold story about a greedy rat who takes food from others - until he meets his match and learns his lesson about sharing. The playful rhymes and moral twist make it an engaging read and the text is very loosely based and inspired by the old poem, The Highway Man (which I mostly know from Anne of Green Gables as she recites it).
We also love the BBC short film (25 minutes) based on this story!
age 18 months to 6 years
picture book
fairly long, rhyming text
daytime read
part of the iconic collection of picture books by Julia Donaldson & Axel Scheffler
Pin & Share This September Booklist
Thank you for reading! If you enjoyed this list, save it on Pinterest or share it with someone who loves books, seasonal rhythms and screen-free time with children. You can follow along on Pinterest or Instagram for more seasonal content, ideas for book shelves, creative life with little ones, and my kid lit inspired art work.
Looking for more kid lit inspired content?
You’ll soon be able to explore my portfolio to see my own illustrated work for children as well as visit my shop for prints, cards and nature-inspired stationery (coming soon in 2026).
For now, you can browse the full blog series for monthly booklists and inspiration for slow, seasonal living with young children.
