Fall is here, and with it comes a fresh batch of picture book and board book titles for little readers! From cozy seasonal stories to new adventures featuring beloved characters like Pete the Cat, The Pigeon, and Fancy Nancy, September releases have something for every storytime. Plus, we’re already getting glimpses of winter-themed books to add to your holiday and snowy-day reading lists.
New Picture Book Releases: September 2025
Pete the Cat is a fan favorite and for a good reason. In this new title, Pete gets a cool new car and picks up all of his friends – but just how many friends will fit in this car?
This picture book would pair perfectly with counting songs or transportation crafts and flannels like one I made!
Lía loves to read, but in the summer, school is closed and the library is too far away to visit. After a visit from a book bike, she takes matters into her own hands and inspires neighborhoods everywhere to start their own. This is a lovely story for a storytime with older children or at home!
Fancy Nancy is a beloved series and in this new installment, Nancy makes a new friend. Making new friends is hard when you already have a best friend because no one wants to feel left out, and this book did a fantastic job at expressing those feelings to younger children. Of course, the book has plenty of fancy words inside!
A lovely new fall picture book featuring Bear and Mouse. Gorgeous watercolor illustrations take up every page and accompany a sweet story about trying to cheer up a sad friend. This story would pair well with a watercolor craft – especially if leaves were involved.
Sophie Blackall writes and illustrates such lovely books and this is no exception. Children use their imaginations to explore what it would be like to be dogs and what kind of dog they would be. This book would be perfect for a dog storytime, animal storytime, or even an imagination storytime.
New Board Book Releases: September 2025
This book has the Pigeon on its cover and that will be enough for most children to want to read it. The Pigeon refuses to count to 10 and he is going to list all of the reasons why…all 10 reasons why. Sure to bring chuckles from older kids and help with numeric awareness in younger kids – this is a must-have. The pages also have texture and the outline of the Pigeon and the numbers are outlined which is a bonus!
Grumpy Monkey – another fan favorite – drops his banana and Warthog calls finders keepers. With the help of friends, can they find a solution?
This is a funny board book that is great to read aloud and I will say my three year old made me read it probably a dozen times. I highly recommend and bonus – it teaches sharing!
A touchy-feely book that is about construction vehicles? Buy it now!
While not ideal for large storytime crowds because of all the touching, this one is sure to be a hit in collections or at home.
Early Reader Releases: September 2025
This is the only new early reader my library had for me to put on hold and it is a great one. Books about snow days check out super fast in the winter time (at least here in the midwest) and this one ALSO has a puppy. Simple decodable text and a fun storyline make this one worth the purchase.
That’s a wrap on this month’s new releases! I hope you discovered a few fresh reads to add to your fall storytimes or bedtime shelves. Don’t forget to visit again next month when I’ll highlight my favorite October picture and board books!