Favorite Pumpkin books

The front of A's preschool transforms every year into a pumpkin patch. And every year we go to pick out the perfect pumpkin.

This year I took the opportunity to do a little photo shoot with the girls. They looked so cute in the festive shirts and matching bows my sister-in-law made for them! (They're for sale - the shirts, not my girls - on her website Just for Me Sewing.)

If you're wondering how I managed to get both girls happily posing for me... they were promised a pumpkin of their choice at the end of the photoshoot. Worked like a charm. :)

The Ugly Pumpkin by Dave Horowitz

Think The Ugly Duckling, pumpkin edition. A pumpkin wanders around being rejected by Halloween-themed creatures until he discovers he's not a pumpkin at all. The pictures are bright and cheerful (making some of the scarier creatures not so much) and the rhymes are well-written. To be honest, however, it was a single line that sold me on this book: "Oh my gosh! I'm a squash!" I laughed out loud when I read that for the first time. Pure genius and alone worth a LPT recommendation.




It's Pumpkin Time! by Zoe Hall

Here's a colorful Halloween book perfect for preschoolers and toddlers. Forget ghosts and witches, this holiday book starts in the springtime as two children plant and tend a pumpkin patch, eagerly awaiting their future jack-o-lantern to grow. Painted paper collages will capture the attention of even very young children while the simple and educational text will introduce kids to the life-cycle of our favorite fall squash! 




Sixteen Runaway Pumpkins by Diane Ochiltree

E loves this book, and while I'm not as enthralled with the story of a raccoon that accidentally dumps 16 pumpkins down a hill, I like the math concepts hidden inside. The main character goes to load up her wagon with pumpkins for Gramps. At each stop she makes, she adds twice the number of pumpkins, starting with 2, then 4, and so on until she gets 16. Here, the wagon tips and spills the pumpkins down the hill. Sam is upset she ruined Gramps pumpkins, but he hands her a spoon and together they turn the bruised pumpkins into pumpkin pie.



Pumpkin Soup by Helen Cooper

Cat, Squirrel, and Duck live harmoniously together in their pumpkin-shaped home. Their lives have a certain rhythm and each have their own role in making their favorite pumpkin soup. One day Duck wants to stir instead of add the salt. When a fight breaks out among the three friends, Duck runs away and the others decide to make the soup without his help. Of course, it doesn't taste the same and when Duck returns they make up and let him stir. He splashes soup everywhere, but the others don't mind. They realize that the friendship is more important.


 Five Little Pumpkins by Ben Mantle

What would October be without the Five Little Pumpkins? The classic poem is a staple in preschool classrooms and homes this time of year. I have seen numerous versions in print, but this newest release is one of the cutest yet!

Easy and YUMMY little pumpkins

Here's an easy and festive after-school snack even little ones can help make: rice krispy treat pumpkins! I'm honestly not sure how pumpkiny they really look, but they're cute and full of sugary goodness.

To make your own, simply mix up some rice krispy treats according to the directions. Butter any little hands that might be helping and roll the treats into small balls. Add a candy corn for the stem and roll in orange sugar crystals to finish.

No need to wash those buttery mitts, just snatch one up and dig in. Yum!

It's Pumpkin Time! by Zoe Hall

Here's a colorful Halloween book perfect for preschoolers and toddlers. Forget ghosts and witches, this holiday book starts in the springtime as two children plant and tend a pumpkin patch, eagerly awaiting their future jack-o-lantern to grow. Painted paper collages will capture the attention of even very young children while the simple and educational text will introduce kids to the life-cycle of our favorite fall squash!

MYO Pumpkin Patch

Target has these adorable pumpkin coasters in their party/paper products aisles. I originally bought them to use as invitations, but the possibilities for crafts and activities is just too tempting! They're perfect to string together into a fall garland, draw faces on for the 5 Little Pumpkins, or simply scatter across the yard to create a pumpkin patch.

I wrote numbers 1-10 on the back of the pumpkins and spread them around the yard for A to find and place in her bucket. The idea was to introduce her to the numbers as she picked up each one.

The fatal flaw in my plan was believing my two year old would want to pick up the pumpkins and place them in her bucket.

It never occurred to me that she would prefer the pumpkins on the ground where they lay.

"Would you like to put the pumpkins in your bucket?" "No tank you." "Um, okay..."

I guess I'll wait until E gets home from school. Then we can use the pumpkins to demonstrate the mathematical concept of doubling, like in the book:

Sixteen Runaway Pumpkins by Diane Ochiltree

E loves this book, and while I'm not as enthralled with the story of a raccoon that accidentally dumps 16 pumpkins down a hill, I like the math concepts hidden inside. The main character goes to load up her wagon with pumpkins for Gramps. At each stop she makes, she adds twice the number of pumpkins, starting with 2, then 4, and so on until she gets 16. Here, the wagon tips and spills the pumpkins down the hill. Sam is upset she ruined Gramps pumpkins, but he hands her a spoon and together they turn the bruised pumpkins into pumpkin pie.

5 Little Pumpkins

Five Little Pumpkins by Ben Mantle

What would October be without the Five Little Pumpkins? The classic poem is a staple in preschool classrooms and homes this time of year. I have seen numerous versions in print, but this newest release is one of the cutest yet!

Five darling little pumpkins of various shapes and sizes wander into a haunted wood filled with friendly witches, cuddly black cats, and smiling ghosts. By the end of the poem they roll out of the dark and spooky - but entirely non-frightening - forest and off into the sunset.

While I could do without the ghosts, I appreciate how the illustrator took "spooky" characters and rendered them harmless with sweet and friendly faces. My girls and I love the illustrations, and we all got a kick out of the "out went the light" page which shows the pumpkins shining brilliantly as jack-o-lanterns. I can't wait to read it again after we carve a jack-o-lantern of our own!

Pillsbury Pumpkin Cookies
I'm in the middle of getting our house ready to sell, so time for elaborate crafts and messy projects is at a minimum. Yet I also want to make the point that literary-themed activities don't have to be complicated or uber-creative.

Taking five minutes to read a book together and then acting out the story with store-bought cookie dough can be just as enriching as anything the most creative educator could conceive.

It's simply about teaching your children to love literature and time together... and of course a good cookie or two!

Disclaimer: Five Little Pumpkins was provided to me courtesy of Tiger Tails Books free of charge in exchange for a review. This does not in any way influence my review.