This month of shorter days and cooler temperatures feels especially apt for sharing books with kids. And while picture books are an obvious go-to for read-alouds, today’s appealing and creative nonfiction adds variety and an educational bent to story sharing.

One of my favorite nonfiction read-alouds for fall is Hauling a Pumpkin: Wheels and Axles vs. Lever (cover pictured). In this title, readers come along as Noah and his mom visit a pumpkin patch. Noah chooses his favorite pumpkin—but it’s really heavy! He experiments with different ways to move it, first trying a lever (a shovel that he and his mom spot leaning against a fence) and next testing out a wheel and axle (when Noah is fortunate enough to spot a wagon sitting out by a barn).

Readers will have fun guessing whether the lever or the wheel and axle is best for hauling the pumpkin. In the process, they’ll learn what parts levers and wheels and axles have and how each of these simple machines work.

For other fun stories about simple machines, check out the entire Simple Machines to the Rescue series. Happy Reading, and Happy Fall!