It’s October! The air is crisp. Leaves are crunching under your feet. Pumpkins are growing large and round, ready to be picked. Children are sharing spooky stories and costumes are being chosen. With so many October storytime themes, this spooktacular month is full of awesome October read alouds for kindergarten! Not only have we included our favorite Halloween picture books, but you will also find teacher recommended fall picture books, pumpkin read alouds, and books about bats. Whether you are searching for the best Halloween activities for kindergarten, or wanting to create a fantastic fall unit, these October stories are worth adding to your arsenal of October books for kindergarten! The individual book images are linked to Amazon for fast purchase if you want to add them to your library. This page contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, we will get a small commission with no additional cost to you.
Best Halloween Read Alouds
As a kindergarten teacher and the proud mother of a kindergartner, I own more Halloween picture books than I can count. I have included 3 of my favorites, but if you are looking for more, I have dedicated an entire article to the best teacher recommended Halloween books for kindergarten. All of these spooky books are perfect for facilitating thoughtful discussion during read aloud and increasing engagement. Add a cute craft, and you’ve the makings of a fantastic read aloud!
Scary Scary Halloween by Eve Bunting, illustrated by Jan Brett: This adorable and spooky story lends itself to wonderful discussion questions… Who is narrating? Do you think the skeletons, ghosts and witches are real? What are they doing? Who are the prowlers of the night? What makes Halloween night different from other nights? This beautifully illustrated book is fun, engaging and a must read for the month of October.
Stumpkin by Lucy Ruth Cummins: A sweet story about a “very nearly perfect pumpkin.” Stumpkin was “as orange as… an orange! As big as a basketball!” But… “he was stemless. With just a stump, not a stem. Who would be lucky enough to take home Stumpkin?” This book lends itself to making great predictions, as well as discussing feelings and empathy. Not to worry, the loveable, and nearly perfect pumpkin gets his own happy ending.
The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything by Linda Williams, illustrated by Megan Lloyd: This was always one of my kindergartners’ favorite read alouds! If you add a few simple movements to complement the sound words (ie Stomp your feet when you hear CLOMP CLOMP.), then your kids can act out this fun and silly tale as you read it! Acting out stories increases engagement and comprehension. The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything is an enchanting story that your kids will adore!
Fall Picture Books
Even though the autumnal equinox is in September, the full effects of fall are much more apparent during the month of October. These are some of our favorite fall picture books. We also have some fantastic fall activities to go with these wonderful books.
It’s Fall! By Linda Glaser, illustrations by Susan Swan: This beautiful book with its cut paper illustrations and poetic language is full of information on the patterns of people, animals, plants and weather in fall. It’s Fall is one of my favorite books for teaching children all about this colorful season!
Leaf Man by Lois Ehlert: Another beautifully illustrated book that is perfect for fall. In this story you follow the journey of Leaf Man. “A Leaf Man’s got to go where the wind blows.” As you read, be sure to call attention to the leaf creatures throughout the story. For a fun after reading activity, have your kids find some fall leaves and arrange them to make a variety of leaf creatures.
Awesome Autumn: All Kinds of Fall Facts and Fun by Bruce Goldstone: This informative book is full of lovely photographs and tons of fun fall facts! It explains the autumnal equinox, why leaves change colors, which crops are ripe in autumn, migration, hibernation and so much more! You can choose to read this book in its entirety, or pick just a few sections to read and unpack with your kids.
Pumpkin Read Alouds
October is a great time to learn about pumpkins. The following books are full of bright photographs, detailed illustrations, and kindergarten friendly information. They are another great way to integrate science and fun into your read alouds!
Pumpkin Circle: The Story of a Garden by George Levenson: With poetic language and vivid photographs, Pumpkin Circle teaches all about how pumpkins grow. This is a great book for practicing visualizing. “Make up pumpkin faces. Add bright candlelight. Set them on your doorstep, let them flicker through the night.” Read parts of this book and have students draw their visualizations.
Seed, Sprout, Pumpkin, Pie by Jill Esbaum: A short, simple, and informative nonfiction book about the life cycle of pumpkins and how we use them by National Geographic for Kids. I just love National Geographic for Kids books!
Pumpkin Pumpkin by Jeane Titherington: This sweet book follows Jamie, a little boy, who planted a pumpkin seed. Watch with Jamie as the seed grows into a sprout…plant…flower…pumpkin… This book is great for retelling and sequencing using vocabulary from the book (ie…First Jamie planted pumpkin seeds. Then the seeds became a pumpkin sprout. Next the sprout turned into a pumpkin plant. The pumpkin plant grew a pumpkin flower…)
Bat Read Alouds
Bats are amazing creatures and what better month than October to read about them!
Bat Loves the Night by Nicola Davies, illustrated by Sarah Fox Davies: Using beautiful language and detailed illustrations, this story takes you into the night “over bushes, under trees, between fence posts,” “gliding and futtering” with the bats. Bat Loves the Night is captivating and filled with fascinating information on these tiny creatures of the night.
Zipping, Zapping, Zooming BATS by Ann Earl, illustrated by Henry Cole: A great read for learning all about bats. This nonfiction book provides all kinds of information, from how bats use echolocation, why bat wings are perfect for zigzagging at high speeds, bat hibernation and more!
BATS! Strange and Wonderful by Laurence Pringle, illustrated by Meryl Henderson: Another great nonfiction book about bats. This one provides information about mega and micro bats and how they are similar and different; perfect if you want to delve deep into the exploration of bats.
Best October Books for Kindergarten
Here is a list of the October themed books mentioned in this blog. This page contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, we will get a small commission with no additional cost to you.
- Scary Scary Halloween by Eve Bunting, illustrated by Jan Brett
- Stumpkin by Lucy Ruth Cummins
- The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything by Linda Williams, illustrated Megan Lloyd
- It’s Fall! By Linda Glaser, illustrations by Susan Swan
- Leaf Man by Lois Ehlert
- Awesome Autumn: All Kinds of Fall Facts and Fun by Bruce Goldstone
- Pumpkin Circle: The Story of a Garden by George Levenson
- Seed, Sprout, Pumpkin, Pie by Jill Esbaum
- Pumpkin Pumpkin by Jeanne Titherington
- Bat Loves the Night by Nicola Davies, illustrated by Sarah Fox Davies
- BATS! Strange and Wonderful by Laurence Pringle, illustrated by Meryl Henderson
- Zipping, Zapping, Zooming BATS by Ann Earle, illustrated by Henry Cole
-Jackie
More Resources from 4 Kinder Teachers
We hope you find this blog helpful! If you are looking for some more teacher approved resources and great activities to do with your kindergartners this fall, read Fantastic Kindergarten Fall Activities. And don’t miss The Best Kindergarten Halloween Activities and The Day of the Dead Activities for Kindergarten.
