Fun in the Fall With More Picture Books!

Bugs Don’t Hug: Six-Legged Parents and Their Kids, by Heather L. Montgomery, Stephen Stone (Illustrator)
If you don’t believe that you have much in common with a bug, you may think again after reading this fact-filled and fun-filled non-fiction picture book. Bugs may go about parenting a little bit differently, but they still feed, protect, and keep their babies close and safe. For instance, Short-Tailed crickets lay the eggs that they feed their young—no grocery stores and scrambled eggs for them! This read will have you thinking about bugs in a whole new way, and would be particularly great for any bug squeemish kids (or grown-ups)! Bugs, they’re just like us! 

Up and Away!: How Two Brothers Invented the Hot Air Balloon, by Jason Henry
This lovely book tells the story of the “world’s first flying machine,” aka hot air balloon, which was created by two French brothers who were dreamers and inventors. (Hint it involves a fireplace and some floating paper.) A beautiful example of using your imagination to reach for the stars. Parents will probably learn a little history as well!

Hungry Bunny, by Claudia Rueda
This book is perfect as we roll into fall and apple picking season! (And perhaps more importantly—apple pie season. Yum!) Bunny is hungry, but has a hard time reaching the apples on the trees in the orchard. So Bunny comes up with a few clever ideas for the reader to help get to the apples (shaking the book, blowing on the book), antics made all the more fun by using a red ribbon “scarf.”

How to be a T. Rex, by Ryan North, Mike Lowery (Illustrator)
What does your young reader want to be when they grow up? A teacher? A doctor? Well, Sal wants to be a T. Rex! So she concentrates on it as hard as she can one night and her dream comes true! But is being a T. Rex amongst people really all it’s cracked up to be?

T. Rex Time Machine By Jared Chapman (Illustrator)
What would happen if dinosaurs time-travelled to the present day? Try to imagine a T. Rex at a drive-through burger window and you’ll have some idea of the hilarious adventures to ensue in this fun picture book. 

We Are Grateful: Otsaliheliga By Traci Sorell, Frané Lessac (Illustrator)
I am grateful for this wonderful picture book! “Ostaliheliga” is the word that the Cherokee use to express their gratitude, and this book is full of everyday things like snow and wild spring onions and the scorching sun, that we can all be thankful for from every season. A valuable reminder at every age.

I Love You More Than… By Taye Diggs, Shane W. Evans (Illustrator)
This gorgeously illustrated picture book is a beautiful love letter, written by a father to his child. It’s a reassuring love note that even though the father is not always physically present, he never stops loving his child, who is always “chilling inside of my heart.” Because who couldn’t use a little more love these days?

I Am Actually a Penguin By Sean Taylor, Kasia Matyjaszek (Illustrator)
The protagonist of this book takes wearing a penguin costume to a whole new level—wearing it to the supermarket and toilet papering the living room with “snow.” Our little penguin’s mom keeps trying to convince her that she’s “not actually a penguin.” But with a little imagination, who’s to say?

Magnificent Birds By Candlewick Press, Narisa Togo (Illustrator)
This spectacular book is bound to turn your young reader into an amateur bird watcher! Gorgeous color illustrations of birds from all over the globe make for a stunning addition to any library or coffee table. Since you may not see a Ruby-Throated Hummingbird or Toco Toucan in your town, this book is a great way to learn about these fascinating creatures and admire them from your own home. 

Night Job By Karen Hesse, G. Brian Karas (Illustrator)
This book is a sweet father and son story about a boy who goes with his father to work as a nighttime janitor at the school. How cool would it be to get to see school when no one else is there—playing basketball in the empty gym, sleeping on the green library couch, then leaving on the back of dad’s motorcycle at 4 a.m., when the rest of the city is asleep.