Skip to main content

National Pumpkin Day Books

By

 National Pumpkin Day is today, October 26th and I'm pretty sure that if it wasn't for Halloween these orange round gourds probably wouldn't be as famous. Halloween, no doubt, is the best thing that has happened to pumpkins. Who hasn't carved a pumpkin at least once or used a pumpkin as part of a Halloween tradition? In honor of  National Pumpkin Day here are five picture books that will help create some special memories for little pumpkins.


Pick a Pumpkin
Written by: Patricia Toht
Illustrated by: Jarvis
Candlewick Press, 2019. Picture Book.

Pick a pumpkin from the patch. A wonderful rhyming book about the holiday tradition of going to a pumpkin patch, choosing the right pumpkin, bringing it home, and carving it into a glowing Jack-o-lantern. 


10 Spooky Pumpkins
Written and Illustrated by: Gris Grimly
Orchard Books, 2021. Picture Book.

A Halloween countdown as 10, not just 5, little pumpkins sitting in a line wait for their turn. You will discover spooky twists and turns as you travel around the countryside discovering Halloween creatures who are celebrating under the full harvest moon. A delightful rhyming Halloween read-aloud the whole family will enjoy. 


Pumpkin Heads
Written and Illustrated by: Wendell Minor
Charlesbridge, 2021. Picture Book.

Halloween is a time to pick pumpkins and carve them into pumpkin heads of every shape and size. Simple language and stunning artwork bring this story to life as you see all of the characters created from a pumpkin head. A perfect book to celebrate Jack-o-lanterns. 


How to Help a Pumpkin Grow
Written and Illustrated by: Ashley Wolff
Beach Lane Books, 2021. Picture Book.

What does it take to help a pumpkin grow? Dog is planting a garden and protecting his pumpkins from the snow and barnyard creatures. Will Dog share his pumpkins with the other animals? Read the book to find out.  A perfect story that explores the autumn season in a rhyming tale of gardening and unexpected friendship. 


Runaway Pumpkins
Written by: Teresa Bateman
Illustrated by: Stephanie Fizer Coleman
Charlesbridge, 2020. Picture Book.

It's a class trip to the pumpkin patch when a bumpy road causes all the pumpkins to spill out of the bus storage bin. All the pumpkins end up rolling into yards and back into the wild. When the students get back to the school they are left with only one large pumpkin. Together they decorate the pumpkin for the harvest festival but a surprise awaits the students. The neighbors have gathered all the runaway pumpkins and created something special. A message of kindness and sharing.










Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Review: Faker

By
Faker By Gordon Korman New York: Scholastic Press, 2024. Fiction. 214 pages. 12-year-old Trey is used to starting over at a new school -- he has the routine perfectly memorized: make new friends, introduce his dad to the wealthy parents of his new friends, and "Houdini" themselves out of there before they get caught running their latest scam. Trey's dad is a master con artist, and Trey has just been promoted to full-partner. Their new scheme for the next big score brings them to the affluent suburb of Boxelder, TN where Trey's dad has cooked up a fake electric car company for investors to buy into. The only problem is that Trey is starting to grow tired of moving around and never putting down roots, especially after forming a fast friendship with Logan and developing a crush on Kaylee, a socially conscious girl in his class. As Trey longs for a normal life, is there any way he can convince his dad to get out of the family business? Gordon Korman is a perennial favorit...
Post a Comment
Read more

Review: Fresh Start

By
Fresh Start By Gale Galligan New York: Graphix, 2025. Graphic novel. 270 pages. Ollie Herisson is only in 7th grade, but she has already lived all over the world. Her father is an American diplomat, whose job has taken their family to France, Singapore, Thailand (where her mom is from), and now to Chestnut Falls, Virginia. Ollie loves that her family doesn't stay in one place very long, it allows her to have a fresh start and hide from any embarrassing moments each time they move. But Ollie's parents have big news -- they've decided to buy a house in Virginia and put down roots. Now, Ollie and her younger sister Cat have to figure out how to build lasting friendships which means resolving conflict rather than running away when things get hard.  Loosely based on the author's own childhood experiences, this graphic novel is sure to be popular with readers who like coming of age stories. Watching Ollie learn to think of others as she advocates for her sister Cat, and navig...
Post a Comment
Read more

Review: Will's Race for Home

By
  Willl's Race for Home  By Jewell Parker Rhodes Little Brown & Company, 2025. Fiction. 256 pages.    Will is a young man whose father and family are working the land as sharecroppers in Texas. When Will's father comes home with the news that there is land available in Oklahoma to those who can stake and settle it, Will's father expresses his deep desire to go and claim land for their family. Will begs to be included, but his mother is reluctant to let him go. After input from the entire family, they decide that Will is ready for the responsibility. Along the way Will and his father develop a deeper appreciation for each other, form deep friendship, discover hidden enemies, and encounter many challenges which force them to make difficult decisions. Will's father has to rely heavily on him, especially as they get closer to their final destination. Will's bravery is inspiring and commendable.  This book is full of many amazing elements: suspense, adventure, fr...
Post a Comment
Read more