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

Funny Farm by Mark Teague 2009

By Anonymous
There are things I liked about Mark Teague's newest book, Funny Farm , and things I didn't like. Where should I start? I'll do the "didn'ts" first. The illustrations show animals personified. Well, some of the animals are. The main characters, Edward, and his farm family relatives, all dogs, are humanized. They stand upright, do farm chores, eat at a table, wear clothes, knit (yes, with paws) and sleep in beds. Most everybody else on and around the farm, who are also animals, act like animals. They are outside, roll in mud, live in the barn, and require care from their owners. It struck me the most on the page spread where there are pigs playing in puddle in the rain and Edward, a black and white boxer, watches from inside the house. I thought "You're a dog! Go play with them!" But, alas, he can't, seeing as how he goes through his entire visit to the farm wearing a suit and red bow tie. Another picture that bothered me was the maple syrup pa...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Girl Who Could Fly by Victoria Forester 2008

By Anonymous
J Fiction 328 pages I almost didn't finish this book. I got to Chapter 4, and was just about ready to quit (a kind of slow story about a girl, name of Piper McCloud, who discovers she can fly, parents freak out, she becomes a social outcast, yadda, yadda) but suddenly, right there in Chapter 4, the story takes a sharp turn and becomes really interesting . Piper finds herself in the company of others like her, but not "fliers", and under the care and authority of Dr. Hellion. I won't even tell you any more. Read this book. Forester does a great job of keeping you wondering who's the good guy and who's the bad? Piper is a likeable, strong, endearing character that girl readers will enjoy. But don't NOT give it to boys! The main male character is an extremely intelligent young man who is one of the ones you wonder about . . . good or bad? This is a good one, well worth your time.
Post a Comment
Read more

Review: Super Boba Cafe

By
Super Boba Café By Nidhi Chanani New York: Amulet Books, 2023. Comics. 215 pages. 14-year-old Aria is excited to spend her summer in San Francisco getting quality time with her Nainai. She loves helping at her grandmother's Super Boba Café. But she can't help but notice that her grandmother is acting strange and secretive. She refuses to let Aria into the kitchen at all and she disappears at the same time each night without telling Aria where she goes. Meanwhile, Aria is eager to drum up more business for Super Boba Café. She gets a major windfall when the shop cat, Bao, surprises them by having kittens, and Aria realizes this is a major social media opportunity. She knows this will help Nainai's shop, but she is apprehensive to get back on social media after a terrible cyberbullying experience she had back home. As the shop starts to get busier, Nainai is more and more anxious about her secret project. This prompts Aria to investigate with help from her Nainai's neighb...
Post a Comment
Read more