Looking for some seasonal favorites to read to your little learners? Here are some great read-aloud pumpkin books for the month of October!
5 Little Pumpkins: Dan Yaccarino
The easy rhyme and familiar rhythm lends itself well to repetition. Dan Yaccarino uses bold colors and simple illustrations to add to this classic rhyme.
Extending the learning: This lends itself very well to a chip clip or felt board activity while the children recite the rhyme in the book.
Pumpkin Circle: The Story of a Garden: George Levenson
It’s always a great idea to include a non-fiction book or two in your repertoire. This book captures the beauty of gardening with simple text and gorgeous pictures.
Extending the learning: The book tells you exactly that. “Scrape them from their orange cave. Wash away squishy mush. Save a few to grow next Spring, and have a bunch to munch!” So yes, by all means, scrape the seeds, save a few to plant, and roast the rest for a delicious snack treat!
The Legend of Spookley the Square Pumpkin: Joe Triono
Extending the learning: Get a variety of pumpkins for a compare and contrast lesson. Or you can use different shapes for a sorting activity!
Pumpkin Town!: Katie McKy and Pablo Bernasconi
Some boys learn from their mistake, but oh what a mess it makes! The pumpkins invade the town like a plague, and they try to secretly clean up the mess. A great lesson in learning from your mistakes and taking responsibility for your actions.
Extending the learning: The book starts with pumpkins and ends with watermelons, so you could do a side-by-side comparison if you have both in your local store. What do they have in common? What is different about them?
Pumpkin Soup: Helen Cooper
Cat, Squirrel and Duck make soup all the time. They always follow the same recipe, and always do the same jobs. But what happens when Duck wants a turn doing a different job? This book is a good addition to any lesson on taking turns, sharing, and friendship.
Extending the learning: Try making your own pumpkin soup, naturally! Be sure to discuss the ingredients, who did which job, if the students enjoyed it, and maybe even invite parents to come in and try a taste.
Pete the Cat Five Little Pumpkins: James Dean
The old, classic “5 Little Pumpkins” poem gets a fresh update when everybody’s favorite cool cat arrives on the scene! This one is guaranteed to please even the youngest crowd.
Extending the learning: Make “5 Little Pumpkin” chip clip poems so that the students can continue to sing the song at home. See how we did it HERE!
How Many Seeds in a Pumpkin: Margaret McNamara
If you are looking for something for older children, the Robin Hill School books are a great place for ideas. In this book, Mr. Triffin’s class hypothesizes about how many pumpkin seeds they will find in different pumpkins. They are surprised by the results…well, all except Charlie, the smallest boy in the class!
Extending the learning: This book just begs for a science lesson of its own! You will need:
- 3 different sizes of pumpkin
- 3 bowls
- a sharp knife
- lots of newspaper
- a way to chart students predictions and the results
Sophie’s Squash: Pat Zietlow Miller
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