Hi there, my name is Ellie Brooks. I'm a mom of 2 from Washington State. I’m a former art teacher turned homeschool mom and share my love of picture books, art and education over on Instagram.
My family started the autumn curriculum in 2026 when my kids were 3 and 20 months. I had been planning to hold off another year before starting any kind of homeschooling, but a good friend convinced me to start even though we were halfway into apple week already. Boy, am I glad she did! I couldn't have imagined how much joy it would bring to our family.
Over the past year I've had the pleasure of joining the Wondergarten community as an affiliate, and now, part of the creative team to bring you a small part of the beauty and inspiration. Today, I get to chat about one of my favorite topics; picture books!
I chose books for each of the weeks of September that we not only love, but that I feel will fit beautifully into a wide variety of homes around the world. You can find all the titles listed here (plus a few honorable mentions).
Bread Week
The slow start to September calls for some books about bread, wheat, harvest, and that cozy feeling of hunkering down to bake and prepare as the weather turns cooler.
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Brambley Hedge Autumn Story by Jill Barklem
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Sun Bread by Elisa Kleven
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Thunder Cake by Patricia Polacco
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The Little Red Hen by Paul Galdone
Apple Week
Washington State is the apple capital of the world and the beginning of fall is scented with the warm smell of ripening apples. I think you’ll smell it too when you open up any one of these beautiful books. Water is Water is my personal favorite. It follows the water cycle from water to cider and would be perfect to pull out during rain or even snow week later on.
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How Apples Grow by Betsy Maestro
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The Apple Cake by Nienke van Hichtum
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Applesauce Season by Eden Ross Lipson
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Water is Water by Miranda Paul
Corn Week
Corn books aren't nearly as abundant as apple books but I've collected a few over the years. The Farm that Feeds Us is a great, non-fiction resource for apple and pumpkin week as well.
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Corn by Gail Gibbons
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Tops & Bottoms by Janet Steven's
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The Farm that Feeds Us by Nancy Castaldo
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The Popcorn Book by Tomie de Paola
Autumn Festival
With the hustle and bustle of back to school, it can be easy to forget that fall doesn't truly begin until the end of September. This year, we will also see the harvest moon a few days after the autumn equinox. Autumn by Gerda Muller is a Waldorf favorite and doesn't have text, just stunning illustrations.
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Goodbye Summer, Hello Autumn by Kenard Pak
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Hello, Harvest Moon by Ralph Fletcher
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Autumn by Gerda Fuller
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Flower Fairies of the Autumn by Cicely Mary Barker
I know we each hold our own values when it comes to the books we bring into our homes, so feel free to leave a question below or check out the synopsis or reviews on each book to decide if it's a good fit for your family.
If you'd like more book recommendations for early childhood and beyond, The Bridge Curriculum, available as part of the Test Group on the Wondergarten app has some lovely resources listed. You can shop the full list of books and a few more here!
I would love to hear your autumn book recommendations below. I'll see you all in October!
-Ellie Brooks