Fall Books and Movies for Families to Enjoy Together
Fall books and movies for families can turn cooler evenings, football weekends, and the excitement of Halloween into opportunities to slow down and spend time together. This season’s recommendations include woodland stories, historical fiction, inspiring sports, gentle Halloween fun, and meaningful stories about family traditions.
Whether your family is planning a cozy read-aloud, looking for a new chapter book, or choosing something for Friday movie night, these books and movies offer more than seasonal entertainment. They can spark conversations about friendship, courage, teamwork, belonging, and the importance of family stories.
Fall Books for Families
Pumpkin Soup
By Helen Cooper
Deep in the woods, Cat, Duck, and Squirrel live together in a cozy cabin where each friend has a special job preparing their nightly pumpkin soup. Their peaceful routine changes when Duck decides he wants a turn stirring the pot, creating an argument that tests their friendship.
Warm illustrations and woodland humor make this a wonderful fall read-aloud. Beneath the cozy setting is a relatable lesson about sharing responsibilities, handling disagreements, and making room for someone else’s ideas.
Best For: Preschool and early elementary
Wishtree
By Katherine Applegate
Red is an old oak tree that has watched generations of neighbors come and go. Each year, people tie their wishes to Red’s branches, but one child’s wish may require the tree and its animal friends to become more involved in the neighborhood than ever before.
Told from the tree’s point of view, this gentle middle-grade story blends humor, nature, history, and compassion. It encourages readers to consider how small acts of welcome can help another person feel less alone.
Best For: Elementary readers, tweens, and family read-alouds
The Witch of Blackbird Pond
By Elizabeth George Speare
When 16-year-old Kit Tyler leaves Barbados to live with relatives in colonial Connecticut, she quickly discovers that her independent nature does not fit comfortably within her new Puritan community. An unexpected friendship offers Kit a place of understanding but also exposes her to suspicion.
The historical setting gives older readers an engaging look at colonial life while raising thoughtful questions about prejudice, courage, friendship, and judging people too quickly. The title feels fitting for October without making the book a traditional Halloween story.
Best For: Tweens and teens
The Boys in the Boat: Young Readers Adaptation
By Daniel James Brown
This young readers adaptation recounts the remarkable journey of nine University of Washington rowers who competed at the 1936 Olympic Games. Coming from different backgrounds, the young men must learn to trust one another and work together before they can compete on the world stage.
The true story offers sports excitement while emphasizing discipline, resilience, teamwork, and shared purpose. It is a particularly good choice for teens who enjoy athletics, history, or nonfiction but may not immediately reach for a traditional historical novel.
Best For: Tweens and teens
Balanced and Barefoot
By Angela J. Hanscom
Pediatric occupational therapist Angela Hanscom explores why active outdoor play is important to children’s physical, emotional, and cognitive development. She also offers practical encouragement for helping children spend more time moving, exploring, creating, and taking age-appropriate risks outside.
Parents may especially appreciate this book during a season that naturally invites families outdoors. It complements activities such as nature walks, scavenger hunts, backyard play, and family trips to local parks.
Best For: Parents and caregivers
Fall Movies for Family Movie Night
Remember the Titans
A newly integrated high school football team must learn how to work together under the leadership of a demanding new coach. As players confront division both on and off the field, they begin discovering that trust and respect can be stronger than the differences separating them.
The football scenes give the movie plenty of energy, but its lessons about leadership, friendship, perseverance, and teamwork make it especially memorable. Parents should be aware that the story includes racial tension, emotional moments, and some sports violence.
Best For: Older elementary children, tweens, teens, and parents
The House with a Clock in Its Walls
After moving into his uncle’s unusual old house, a young boy discovers that magic—and a dangerous mystery—may be hidden inside its walls. With the help of his uncle and their mysterious neighbor, he must find courage he did not know he possessed.
This fantasy adventure delivers creaky rooms, secret passages, spells, and an autumn-ready atmosphere. Some images and suspenseful scenes may be intense for sensitive children, making it a better fit for older elementary viewers and tweens.
Best For: Older elementary children and tweens
Coco
Miguel loves music, even though his family has forbidden it. During Día de los Muertos, an unexpected journey into the Land of the Dead gives him the opportunity to uncover the truth behind his family’s history and better understand the people who came before him.
The music and colorful animation will entertain younger viewers, while the themes of memory, family stories, forgiveness, and belonging give older family members plenty to discuss. Some scenes involving skeletons and loss may require reassurance for sensitive children.
Best For: The whole family
Fantastic Mr. Fox
Mr. Fox promises to leave his risky ways behind, but the temptation to outsmart three unfriendly farmers proves difficult to resist. His choices soon place his family and the surrounding animal community in danger, forcing everyone underground to work together.
The stop-motion animation, earthy scenery, and dry humor give this movie a distinct autumn feeling. Children can enjoy the clever adventure, while older viewers may appreciate its ideas about family responsibility, identity, and learning to value the life you already have.
Best For: Elementary children, tweens, teens, and parents
It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown
Linus patiently waits in the pumpkin patch for the arrival of the Great Pumpkin while the rest of the Peanuts gang prepares for costumes, trick-or-treating, and a Halloween party. Charlie Brown, meanwhile, experiences another holiday filled with comical disappointments.
Its brief runtime and gentle humor make this an approachable Halloween tradition for younger children. It also gives families an easy opportunity to talk about imagination, disappointment, loyalty, and respecting someone whose beliefs differ from their own.
Best For: Preschool, elementary children, and nostalgic parents
Make Time for a Fall Family Story
A good seasonal book or movie does not have to be entirely about pumpkins, leaves, or Halloween. Sometimes the best fall selections simply encourage families to gather, slow down, and share a story that leads to laughter or a meaningful conversation.
Choose one book to read together, plan a movie night, or pair a selection with a fall activity. Your family might read Pumpkin Soup before making a favorite soup recipe, watch Remember the Titans during football season, or take a nature walk after reading Wishtree.
For more ideas throughout the year, visit the Books & Movies for Families hub to explore additional seasonal reading lists and family movie-night recommendations from Texarkana Parent.
