“September” by Helen Hunt Jackson
The golden-rod is yellow;
The corn is turning brown;
The trees in apple orchards
With fruit are bending down.
The gentian’s bluest fringes
Are curling in the sun;
In dusty pods the milkweed
Its hidden silk has spun.
The sedges flaunt their harvest,
In every meadow nook;
And asters by the brook-side
Make asters in the brook.
From dewy lanes at morning
the grapes’ sweet odors rise;
At noon the roads all flutter
With yellow butterflies.
By all these lovely tokens
September days are here,
With summer’s best of weather,
And autumn’s best of cheer.
But none of all this beauty
Which floods the earth and air
Is unto me the secret
Which makes September fair.
‘T is a thing which I remember;
To name it thrills me yet:
One day of one September
I never can forget.
is a gorgeous book that traces the life cycle of an apple. Rather than a scientific look at the process, it is a more poetic and artistic telling of how an apple goes from being picked to growing into a tree and another apple.
is a delightful story about Alex and Abigail’s visit to their Grandpa’s apple farm. The story takes the reader through the entire apple cider making process as well as highlighting other events that take place at the family apple farm that opens to the public each fall. The illustrations are cozy and well-done and complete the story.
is part of the National Geographic Kids Picture the Seasons series. This book is full of colorful photos that capture all of the fun of apple season.
is a colorful, engaging book that traces the changes of an apple tree throughout the year. Told through the story of Arnold and his family enjoying the tree in each season, the story also includes a small cut-out section that explains how an apple cider press works which would be beneficial for students who live in an area without an active press to visit.
Picture Books Featuring Pumpkins
Don’t forget this fun Little House story! In 
by Anne Rockwell follows the outing of a little girl and her parents as they go out to a farm to pick apples and pumpkins. The little girl selects her pumpkin and takes it home to carve it. They light it in celebration of Halloween when the little girl goes out trick or treating with her dad. The book is warmly illustrated and the story is told simply and briefly.
by Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambault is the delightful story of a young boy who sneaks out to the barn in the middle of the night when he hears the animals and scarecrow head out there for a hoedown. The scarecrow leads the way with his fiddle playing and the animals join in with a wild dance in the barn. This Reading Rainbow Book has fun language and entertaining illustrations that will appeal to young children.
