Here are some great books for a pumpkin unit! Take a look and click on the titles or the books for more information!
1. Seed, Sprout, Pumpkin, Pie
Pumpkins! Who can resist the sight of big, round, orange pumpkins ripening in a field? Children piling off school buses to pick one out. Carving out funny faces, smiles, or scary frowns to illuminate Halloween doorsteps. Making room for that last piece of pumpkin pie after a delicious Thanksgiving feast. In this book, pumpkins aren’t just a fruit, they’re a symbol, a scent, a flavor of the entire season.
Celebrate the flavor of fall on every page of this beautifully photographed picture book. Follow along as National Geographic takes you from seed to sprout, pumpkin to pie. Envelope yourself, your family, or your class in the season by reading and learning all about pumpkins.
2. The Biggest Pumpkin Ever
Desmond and Clayton must work together to win the Biggest Pumpkin competition, in this popular bestselling picture book.
Once there were two mice who fell in love with the same pumpkin....
Desmond the field mouse wants to carve the biggest jack-o'-lantern in the neighborhood with his pumpkin. Clayton the house mouse wants to win the Biggest Pumpkin contest with his. But when they discover that their choice pumpkins are actually the same one, Desmond and Clayton decide to work together to grow the biggest pumpkin ever!
3. From Seed to Pumpkin
In the fall, pumpkins are everywhere: in the garden, in the supermarkets, and on doorsteps. But do you know how they grow from a tiny yellow seed to a pumpkin? In this classic Level 1 Let's-Read-and-Find-Out picture book, Wendy Pfeffer's lively text combines with James Graham Hale's beautiful watercolors to bring readers into the pumpkin patch to show them how little seeds transform into big pumpkins.
Now rebranded with a new cover look, this book includes a find out more section with activities such as an experiment to show how plants use roots to drink water from the ground and a recipe for roasted pumpkin seeds. Both text and artwork were vetted for accuracy by Barbara J. Bromley, Mercer County Horticulturist.
This is a Level 1 Let's-Read-and-Find-Out, which means the book explores introductory concepts perfect for children in the primary grades and supports the Common Core Learning Standards and Next Generation Science Standards. Let's-Read-and-Find-Out is the winner of the American Association for the Advancement of Science/Subaru Science Books & Films Prize for Outstanding Science Series.
4. Splat the Cat and the Pumpkin-Picking Plan
Take a trip to the pumpkin patch in this funny Splat the Cat tale by New York Times bestselling author-artist Rob Scotton. This is a festive fall 8x8 storybook complete with more than 30 stickers, just right for Halloween.
When Splat goes to the pumpkin patch with Seymour, he’s determined to find the biggest pumpkin ever. But when he finally does, Splat finds out the real challenge isn't the pumpkin picking—it's how to get the pumpkin home!
Read all about Splat’s autumn misadventures in Splat the Cat: Pumpkin-Picking Plan, another sure-to-be-a-classic story by Rob Scotton.
5. Pumpkin Circle: The Story of a Garden
We can be sure of this: It's a circle without end. It'¬?s pumpkin seeds to pumpkins To pumpkin seeds again! This treat of a picture book comes cloaked in the colors of fall. Bouncy verse and glowing photographs show a backyard pumpkin patch move through its natural cycle -- a bug'¬?s eye and a bird's high view of seeds sprouting, flowers blooming, bees buzzing, pumpkins growing . . .and then going back to earth. An author's note explains how to grow your own pumpkin. Educators, please visit our Resources section, above, for teaching guides and curricula. Awards1999 Parent'¬?s Guide AwardReviews"If you weren't a pumpkin lover before, you will be after checking this neat book out." -Fast Forward magazine "Eye-catching full-color photography and rhyming text. . . . An excellent choice for fall pumpkin studies."-Public Schools of North Carolina's Infotech"Your books will help us put an emphasis on early reading and help improve the stereotypes and misconceptions surrounding farmers and agriculture."-American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture
6. Pumpkin Jack
The first pumpkin Tim ever carved was fierce and funny, and he named it Jack. When Halloween was over and the pumpkin was beginning to rot, Tim set it out in the garden and throughout the weeks he watched it change.
7. Too Many Pumpkins
Rebecca Estelle has hated pumpkins ever since she was a girl. When an enormous pumpkin falls off a truck and smashes in her yard, she shovels dirt over the pieces and forgets about them. But those slimy pumpkin smithereens sprout up in autumn, and Rebecca Estelle finds herself with a sea pumpkins. What will she do with so many pumpkins, when she can't stand the sight of even one?
8. The Pumpkin Book
Big, small, round, tall -- pumpkins come in all shapes and sizes. Here one learns the marvels of the growth cycle of these incredible plants -- from flat seeds, to thick vines covered in golden flowers, to brilliant orange pumpkins! Gail Gibbons also relates the special role pumpkins played in the first Thanksgiving. Simple and clear directions for drying seeds, planting and tending pumpkin patches, and carving funny or scary faces are included in the book, along with a fascinating section on pumpkin facts and lore.
9. How Many Seeds in a Pumpkin?
Here is an adorable picture book for curious kids, which explores skip counting and estimation in a fun pumpkin-themed classroom experiment. This book makes a wonderful read-aloud companion to any math or science curriculum, and it's a fun way to reinforce counting skills at home.
"How many seeds are in a pumpkin?" Mr. Tiffin asks his class as they gather around the big, medium, and small pumpkins on his desk. Robert, the biggest kid, guesses that the largest one has a million seeds; Elinor, sounding like she knows what she's talking about, guesses the medium one has 500 seeds; and Anna, who likes even numbers better than odd ones, guesses that the little one has 22. Charlie, the smallest boy in the class, doesn't have a guess.
Counting pumpkin seeds is messy business, but once the slimy job is done, to everyone's surprise, the smallest pumpkin has the most seeds! As Charlie happily exclaims, "Small things have a lot going on inside of them."
10. Pumpkin Pumpkin
Jamie plants a pumpkin seed in the spring and, after watching it grow all summer, carves a face in it for Halloween! But best of all, he saves some seeds that he will plant again next spring. "Truly a book for all seasons."--Horn Book.
11. Pete the Cat: Five Little Pumpkins
Five little pumpkins sitting on a gate. The first one said, "Oh my, it's getting late."
Join Pete the Cat as he rocks out to this cool adaptation of the classic Halloween song "Five Little Pumpkins".
12. The Roll-Away Pumpkin
On a windy autumn day, Marla Little comes running down the hill, yelling, “Help! My giant pumpkin is rolling away! Onward it goes, rolling and turning, with no sign of stopping! Diddle-dee-doo! Oh, what shall I do?”
A little girl chases her giant pumpkin all over town with some help along the way. It’s the perfect bedtime story to read with your little pumpkin.
The author uses repeating sentence structures to capture young listeners’ attention and give early readers confidence.
The book is exquisitely illustrated by award-winning Italian illustrator, Daniela Volpari. Every page is a beautiful work of art and is one of those picture books whose images will linger long after you’ve turned the page.
13. The Itsy Bitsy Pumpkin
This gently spooky twist on “The Itsy Bitsy Spider” makes a favorite nursery rhyme just perfect for Halloween!
The itsy bitsy pumpkin
rolled down the spooky street.
He passed a ghoulish ghost
and some stinky goblin’s feet.
A little pumpkin is trying to find his way back home! And with a little help from a friendly witch, he is soon safe and sound, back on his porch—where there are no spiders to be seen! Little ones will love this fresh fall spin on a classic nursery rhyme!
14. Pinkalicious and the Pink Pumpkin
Pinkalicious is on a search to find a pink pumpkin in this pinkerrific new lift-the-flap book! With thirteen flaps that open to reveal hidden surprises on every page, Pinkalicious fans will be perfectly pleased!
15. Pumpkin Soup
Deep in the woods in an old white cabin, three friends make their pumpkin soup the same way every day. The Cat slices up the pumpkin, the Squirrel stirs in the water, and the Duck tips in just enough salt. But one day the Duck wants to stir instead, and then there is a horrible squabble, and he leaves the cabin in a huff. It isn't long before the Cat and the Squirrel start to worry about him and begin a search for their friend. Rendered in pictures richly evoking autumn, Helen Cooper's delightful story will resonate for an child who has known the difficulties that come with friendship. Included at the end is a recipe for delicious pumpkin soup.
16. The Very Best Pumpkin
Growing up on Mimi and Papa’s farm, Peter knows a lot about caring for pumpkins. One summer Peter finds a lonely pumpkin all by itself in the field, and with his tender care, the pumpkin flourishes. By autumn, it’s the very best pumpkin of all, and Peter wants to keep it for himself. But when a young girl shows up at the farm in quest of a perfect pumpkin, will Peter pass on his prized pumpkin and gain a friend? From the bestselling creators of Reindeer Christmas and A Snowman Named Just Bob, this enchanting story is filled with the magic of autumn and friendship.
17. Apples and Pumpkins
A young girl spends a glorious fall day picking apples and searching for the perfect pumpkin in this refreshed classic.
"When red and yellow leaves are on the trees," a little girl goes with her parents to a farm where they pick apples and choose "the best pumpkin of them all." Back home, she helps to carve a grinning jack-o'-lantern face on the big orange pumpkin, which guards their doorstep on halloween night while her mother hands out shiny red apples and she and her father go trick-or-treating with the neighborhood ghosts and goblins.
Bold, autumn-colored paintings and a simple but lively story capture a little girl's joy and satisfaction as she shares in the excitement of the fall season.
18. How Big Could Your Pumpkin Grow?
Every year, giant pumpkin contests take place at fairs across the country—the 2012 record-holder weighed over a ton! The latest craze is to carve the most enormous pumpkins into racing boats. But what’s next? Why not think really big? Award-winning artist Wendell Minor does just that as he imagines larger-than-life pumpkins decorating some of America’s favorite places—as immense as the Capitol dome, Mount Rushmore, the Brooklyn Bridge, even the Grand Canyon! This celebration of famous landmarks and landscapes plays with concepts of size and scale and is full of fun facts.
19. Pumpkin Town! Or, Nothing Is Better and Worse Than Pumpkins
What happens when a town has an accidental abundance of pumpkins? What do José and his well-intentioned brothers do with a mountain of pumpkins? An EXPLOSION of pumpkins? Step into Pumpkin Town and see!
As a teacher, Katie McKy saw many children make mistakes. She also saw many children want to make their wrongs right.
As a gardener, Katie once planted too many pumpkin seeds. She was that a good thing can be a bad thing when the vines start to grow every which way.
20. We Gather Together: Celebrating the Harvest Season
Looking at both the science of weather and the history of how the fall equinox has been celebrated by various cultures throughout the world, this book will inspire a new understanding of autumn and the harvest season.
