October is such a fun month, and it shows by the amount of children’s books in my classroom library! Here is my curated list of 20 books for the month of October that you can read in your Special Education classroom, bringing the month to life in your classroom.
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Fall is my favorite time of year and I love sharing that enjoyment with my students! The decorations, the changes in the seasons, and the holidays that bring us closer to our families are some of the things I love sharing with my class.
Even though my personal classroom library has wayyy more than 20 books, I have collected 20 of my favorite books to read in October to share my love of fall and literature. Plus, did you know that students are more likely to show an interest in something if someone they love or admire enjoys it? I use this to my advantage all year round.
- Pumpkin Jack is about what happens to the pumpkins after we carve them. This is great for a science experiment!
- There was an Old Lady Who Swallowed Some Leaves is a ridiculous story about an old lady that swallows all kinds of fall things. Kids love the repetitive pattern of the text and can’t help but join in reading it!
- Amara’s Farm is a great book to talk about the vegetables and fruits that grow in cooler autumn weather. She goes searching for pumpkins for her family’s potluck, but she finds so much more!
- The Legend of Spookley the Square Pumpkin is an adorable story about being different. All the other pumpkins are round, but Spookley is square. Spookley soon finds out he can save the day!
- How Many Seeds in a Pumpkin? is a perfect companion to a science or math lesson about counting seeds. Your students will LOVE scooping the insides out of a pumpkin and counting all the seeds. Plus, work on grouping in sets of 5 or 10 to work in skip counting!
5 Nonfiction October Books
- Pumpkin Circle is a nonfiction text about the life cycle of a pumpkin. It is great for younger students because it has simple vocabulary and bright, real-life images!
- Seed, Sprout, Pumpkin, Pie is another nonfiction text that goes over the life cycle of a pumpkin. It would be so fun to make a pumpkin pie in the classroom too!
- Because of an Acorn is a good book to talk about life cycles and tree growth. So many great things happen from that little acorn!
- Red Leaf, Yellow Leaf is a great nonfiction option to teach students about leaves and the life of a tree.
- Why Do Leaves Change Colors? is another great nonfiction option that provides students with tons of information in a simple, easy to understand format
5 More October Books
- The Reason for the Seasons is great to read at the change of any season. It is written for 6-9 year olds and provides them with lots of information with simple vocabulary for easier understanding.
- Hello, Harvest Moon is a great read about the changes of autumn and the moon. The harvest moon also signals to the night animals to wake up and enjoy the night.
- A Tree for All Seasons is a nonfiction title that will go great with a study on seasons or trees. The book features real-life photos that are bright and eye appealing.
- Apples is a book about growing and picking apples. It tells about the history of apples and how farmers take care of apple trees in the orchard.
- Bats is a National Geographics’ book that shares information about bats in a simple to understand format and uses easier vocabulary for younger students.
5 October Books
- Every Autumn Comes the Bear is about a bear the shows up every autumn behind a family’s house. What does he do? Why does he come? Read the book to find out more.
- Strega Nona’s Harvest is a colorful book about the changing of the seasons and the hard work that comes with the harvest.
- Otis and the Scarecrow is about Otis the farm tractor and a new friend the farmer has brought home. The scarecrow’s job is to shoo away the birds, but can they have a little fun too?
- Little Tree is a sweet book about the changes that come in the autumn. It touches on changes in life and how it isn’t always a bad thing for new change.
- Sophie’s Squash is a book about Sophie and her new squash. She doesn’t want to eat the squash, instead she names it and takes it everywhere! But what happens when it starts to rot?
Do you have any great books that you share with your class in October? Please drop a comment below with the titles for me!
