47. Fall Picture Books: 12 Cross-Curricular Read Alouds

Feeling like you're drowning in lesson plans, trying to squeeze reading, science, writing, and social studies into an already packed day? What if I told you that those beautiful fall picture books sitting on your shelf could be your secret weapon for hitting multiple learning objectives without the overwhelm? In today's episode, I'm sharing twelve incredible fall-themed picture books that transform ordinary read alouds into cross-curricular powerhouses—because you shouldn't have to choose between story time and meaningful instruction!

From "The Stranger" by Chris Van Allsburg (perfect for teaching inference skills) to "Pumpkin Jack" by Will Hubbell (amazing for life cycle lessons), each book I'm sharing works double duty in your classroom. We'll explore how these seasonal gems can enhance your reading instruction, spark engaging writing activities, bring science concepts to life, and support social-emotional learning—all while keeping your students completely captivated. Plus, every single book has a ready-made lesson waiting for you in the Colorful Apple Book Club, so you can grab these ideas and run with them tomorrow morning!

📓 Join the Colorful Apple Book Club!

💙 50 Picture Books Every Classroom Needs (freebie!)

📚 Books in this Episode:

• The Stranger
• A Turkey for Thanksgiving
• Room on the Broom
• Stellaluna
• I Need My Monster
• In November
• Pumpkin Jack
• Goodbye Summer, Hello Autumn
• Thankful
• Gustavo
• Spookley
• Sweep
• Bonaparte Falls Apart

📝 Show Notes

Join the Colorful Apple Book Club!

Check out the TpT Store.
Join our FREE Facebook Group all about read alouds.

Keep your teaching colorful,
Sara :)

The Colorful Apple

Full disclosure: Amazon links in my descriptions are usually affiliate links which means if you purchase through that link, I receive a very small percentage of the sale.