Are you camp everything pumpkin? Pumpkin spice lattes, pumpkin cereal, pumpkin candy, pumpkin-flavored everything! Or, are you camp no pumpkin flavors. Just give me the real thing to sit on my porch. Either way, I’ve got a list of pumpkin reads that will take you all the way through fall. Let’s roll right into these children’s books about pumpkins.
Pumpkin Books
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So, I’ve divided this list into two sections for those of you who need books with a non-Halloween focus.
Pumpkin Books Without a Halloween Focus
The Great Pumpkin Contest by Angie Rozeleaar is the story of two neighbor cats both growing pumpkins for a local contest. They each have different growing techniques that produce different results. The real prize of the contest is a budding friendship.
Pumpkin Countdown by Joan Holub is all about a class getting ready for the pumpkin patch field trip. Children will countdown from 20 and pick up lots of fun facts on the endpapers.
Carving a Jack-o’-Lantern (Sequencing Stories) by Meg Gaertner walks kids step-by-step from getting a pumpkin to carving it to setting the jack-o-lantern on the porch. This non-fiction title works well for younger children.
Pick A Pumpkin by Patricia Toht takes readers to the pumpkin patch to find that perfect pumpkin followed by all the fun that happens once you get it home.
Stumpkin by Lucy Ruth Cummins is the story of one practically perfect pumpkin at the pumpkin stand as he watches all the other pumpkins find places as jack-o-lanterns in windows. But, then Stumpkin realizes he has had a special home all along.
This is NOT a Pumpkin by Bob Staake leads us through all the descriptors of pumpkins and you’ll be convinced that it really is a pumpkin, but then we see another side of the pumpkin and realize it is something else now.
Get up close to watching every detail of a pumpkin from seed to harvest in Pumpkin Circle by George Levenson. Watch the life cycle of the pumpkin with vivid descriptions and lots of photograph support.
Before you cut into a pumpkin with the kids read How Many Seeds in a Pumpkin? by Margaret McNamara to the children.
Pumpkin Pumpkinby Jeanne Titherington takes us through the growing season of a pumpkin. We see things come full circle when the child carves the pumpkin and saves some seeds for planting next year.
We’re Going on a Pumpkin Hunt by Mary Wilcox will remind you of We’re Going on a Bear Hunt. But, in this version, the animals are out on a spooky night trying to find a pumpkin. And, that is just what they find. It’s a scary (actually might be too scary for young children) one though and it frightens them off. Lots of parts to act out in this one.
How to Help a Pumpkin Grow by Ashley Wolff is a rhyming tale of a group of animals working together to grow, harvest, and create with pumpkins.
Amara’s Farm by JaNay Brown-Wood hits the mark as a great read-aloud that can be used for multiple lessons. Of course, we have pumpkins. Join Amara on the farm and help her locate the pumpkins. Along the way, we learn the names of lots of different fruits and vegetables. Students will also learn about descriptive words, comparing/contrasting, colors, and lots of gardening vocabulary.
Pumpkin Books With Halloween Focus
Ten Orange Pumpkins: A Counting Book by Stephen Savage walks us from 10 pumpkins to one in this Halloween themed disappearance.
Pumpkin Trouble by Jan Thomas is a hilarious read-aloud. Duck is trying to carve a jack-o-lantern and gets stuck inside the pumpkin. From there the comedy ensues.
The Little Green Witch decides to plant pumpkin seeds for a pumpkin pie. A lot of work goes into the care of the pumpkins and the other creatures don’t want to help. But, they sure want to eat the pie. However, the witch has a spell up her sleeve. Perfect for reading alongside the traditional, The Little Red Hen.
InPumpkin Cat by Anne Mortimer, Cat and Mouse work together through the year to grow a pumpkin. Then, when the pumpkin is ready, Mouse does something special to it just in time for Halloween. A great pick for young readers. It is informative and has the story feel with a repetitive phrase children can join in with while you read.
Printable Pumpkin Book List
Grab a list of the books above for your lesson plans or to take to the library.
Don’t just read about pumpkins. Grab our Fall Preschool Literacy Unit for even more book recommendations and literacy activities.
Enjoy reading about pumpkins this year.
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