Books About Seasons for Preschoolers (Our Favorite Read-Alouds)

Books about seasons for preschoolers were one of the easiest ways to make nature study feel simple when my son was little.

We’d read about spring buds, summer storms, and crunchy fall leaves, then go outside and try to spot the same changes in real life.

These are the picture books we came back to most, some are cozy read-alouds, others lean more factual, but they all helped him notice what was happening outdoors.

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Preschool Books About Seasons

Season books worked well for us because they gave us something to look for outside. After reading, we’d usually take a quick walk and hunt for one “season clue”, buds, puddles, changing leaves, longer shadows.

The picks below mix gentle stories with simple explanations, so you can use them for bedtime or as part of a nature unit without it feeling like a lesson.

A Tree for All Seasons

This was one of the first books we read when we started talking about seasons. It follows a single tree through all four seasons, and the photos are so real and vivid that my son would point out similar trees on our walks. It’s a simple concept, but it helped him connect what he saw in the book to what was happening outside, especially in the fall, when the leaves started to change.

Watching the Seasons

We ended up using this one alongside our usual walks rather than reading it straight through. It’s the kind of book that naturally leads to “let’s go see if we can find that” moments. When the trees started changing or new buds appeared, he’d point back to something he’d seen in the pages earlier.

Pair this book with our nature scavenger hunt to spark even more curiosity.

My 1st Book of Seasons: Learn about Four Different Seasons & Weather

This was our go-to during the toddler years. It’s bright, simple, and introduces not just the seasons, but weather too, which helped us explain things like “Why is it raining in summer?” or “Why do the leaves fall?” It’s one of those books that feels like a gentle introduction to both science and storytelling.

This is a great book about the weather for younger children.

A Little Book About Winter (Leo Lionni’s Friends)

This was one we’d pull out on colder mornings when we were about to head outside. It’s short and calm, which works well before getting bundled up. The illustrations gave us little things to watch for once we were out, snow on branches, frozen puddles, tiny winter details that are easy to miss.

Add a winter themed board game to your studies too for some hands-on fun!

The Very Hungry Caterpillar’s First Winter

If your preschooler already loves the original Caterpillar story, this seasonal version is a sweet extension. It introduces winter ideas in a very gentle, familiar way. My son loved spotting all the little winter details, mittens, snow, even animal tracks. It was also a nice way to talk about how animals and insects adapt when it gets cold.

Winter Wonderland

This one is packed with gorgeous photography, and I used it more as a “look-and-talk” book than a traditional story. The photos sparked so many questions, especially about animals in winter. We’d read a page and then go search videos or look things up together, which made it a great jumping-off point for learning through conversation.

Winter Is Here

The tone of this one is very quiet, almost slow in a good way. We usually read it on days when everything outside actually looked like the book, fresh snow, muted colors. He liked tracing the shapes in the illustrations, and it naturally led to a lot of “do you see that outside?” moments from the window.

What’s a Season? WINTER

We picked this up when we were focusing more on science vocabulary, and it ended up being one of the clearest introductions to what a season actually is. It goes beyond snow to talk about frost, hibernation, and shorter days. It’s a nice mix of bright visuals and simple explanations, great if your preschooler asks a lot of “why” questions.

A Little Book About Spring

This one brought a burst of color into our house after a long gray winter. The art is cheerful and familiar, and the story itself is all about noticing the first signs of spring. We’d read it together and then go outside and try to find something new growing. It pairs really well with a springtime memory game or a scavenger hunt.

The Very Hungry Caterpillar’s First Spring

Because he already knew the original caterpillar story, this was an easy seasonal add-on that didn’t need much convincing. We often read it when we were starting seeds or checking the garden, since the focus on new growth lined up with what we were doing anyway. Familiar characters made it an easy win.

When Spring Comes

This one works especially well as a read-aloud because the pacing builds gradually, just like the season itself. We’d stop on certain pages to talk about what had already changed outside that week, melting patches, new leaves, birds returning. It feels less like a story you rush through and more like one you notice slowly.

Spencer Knows Spring

Spencer’s curiosity felt very realistic, especially the impatience that comes with waiting for warmer weather. My son liked the energy of it, and it led to plenty of “is it spring yet?” conversations in our house. It’s more story-driven than informational, which helped keep it in our regular rotation.

I Am Spring

We used this as a jumping-off point for actually going outside and documenting what we saw. After reading, we’d grab paper and sketch whatever had changed that week, first bugs, new leaves, random flowers. It worked well because the book introduces ideas without overwhelming younger kids.

Spring is Here: A Bear and Mole Story

This one became more of a comfort read than a “learning” book. The characters are easy to like, and the excitement about spring arriving feels genuine. We usually saved it for bedtime since the tone is gentle and not overly busy.

Summer Song

This matched that phase where he wanted to be outside as much as possible. We’d read a page, then end up talking about something we’d already noticed that day, bees near the flowers, the heat, the noise of insects. It’s less about plot and more about recognizing the feeling of summer.

This is one of our favorite books about summer for preschoolers

Why Do Leaves Change Color?

This one got pulled out every fall when my son started asking questions about the trees. It’s more scientific than most of the others on this list, but it’s written clearly enough for preschoolers to understand. We paired it with a leaf-collecting activity and even used it to press leaves in a book—simple, but memorable learning.

The Very Hungry Caterpillar’s First Fall

Another seasonal spin on a classic character! This version has that same familiar style and simplicity, but with an autumn twist, leaves changing, cooler weather, and cozy imagery. My son liked comparing the seasonal books in this series, and it helped him see the year as a cycle rather than isolated parts.

Why not create some special memories with our free fall handprint template.

Awesome Autumn

This book is packed with facts, photos, and little tidbits, so we didn’t always read it cover to cover. Instead, we’d flip to a page that matched what we were doing—apple picking, raking leaves, spotting animals, and read just that section. It’s one of those books that grows with your child and can be reused in different ways year after year.

In the Middle of Fall

This book reads like a quiet walk through autumn. The illustrations are rich and warm, and the language has a rhythm that made my son slow down and really listen. It led to some great conversations, Why do animals get ready for winter? Why do leaves fall? It felt less like a lesson and more like noticing things together.

Apples, Apples Everywhere!

We picked this up right before an apple-picking trip, and it actually made the outing more memorable. He kept pointing out things from the book while we were in the orchard and suddenly cared a lot more about how apples grow. It ended up being one of those reads that carried over into real life instead of staying on the page.

The Leaf Thief

This one got genuine laughs here. The squirrel’s panic over his disappearing leaves is dramatic in a way preschoolers find hilarious, and it’s an easy entry point for talking about why leaves actually fall. It feels more like a funny story than a lesson, which made it one we reread several times.

Goodbye Summer, Hello Autumn

We read this during that in-between stretch when the weather hadn’t quite decided what season it was yet. The way the main character talks to everything around her stuck with my son, he started doing the same on our walks. It’s quiet, observant, and works well when you want kids to slow down and notice small changes outside.

Fall

This isn’t a story we read cover-to-cover every time. We mostly used it as a quick reset when we were switching into fall activities. The visuals are clear and straightforward, so it’s easy to flip to a page about weather or animals and connect it to what’s happening that week.

Tree Full of Wonder

This one naturally led into hands-on activities. After reading it, we went outside to look more closely at bark, leaves, and how different trees change through the year. The rhyme makes it easy to read aloud, but what stuck most was how it shifted our focus back to the trees themselves.

Playing Through the Seasons: Crunchy Leaves, Cozy Sweaters

This felt less like a “learning” book and more like a snapshot of everyday fall moments. We’d read it after being outside in the leaves or coming in from cooler weather, and it fit that transition from busy to calm really well. It’s gentle, familiar, and works nicely as a quieter end-of-day read.

Last Updated on 10 February 2026 by Clare Brown

Books About Seasons for Preschoolers (Our Favorite Read-Alouds)

Preschool Books About Seasons

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