2nd grade pumpkin book report

WOULD YOU LIKE ACCESS TO ALL THE FREEBIES FOR ELEMENTARY TEACHERS? ➔

Pumpkin Book Report Project: The Best Ideas for Teachers in 2024

Have you ever noticed how easy it is to motivate your students in the month of October? When you add a bit of Halloween fun to literacy activities, even your most reluctant readers become enthusiastic about books. This post will explain how I use pumpkin book report projects each year to get my students excited about reading while giving them a chance to express their creativity. These projects are so much fun for the kids and even after over a decade of doing this annual activity, I never cease to be amazed by their creativity each year.

Much like my popular Haunted House for Sale writing project , pumpkin book projects are an annual favorite in my classroom. As I mentioned, I have been having my students create character pumpkins for the past ten years and it is always a big hit. Because I have taught kindergarten, first, second and third grade, I have needed to modify it often. For this reason, the Pumpkin Book Project Packet includes differentiated activities for each of those grades as well as the upper intermediate grades too.

This post will address the following regarding pumpkin book report projects:

• What are pumpkin book report projects?
• How do I implement pumpkin book report projects in my classroom?

5 Tips for Teaching Summarizing using Pumpkin Book Reports

5 tips for teaching character traits using pumpkin book reports.

• What do classroom teachers who’ve done this project have to say about it?

What are Pumpkin Book Report Projects?

This pumpkin character book report project is perfect for the month of October. It includes both digital and printable book report templates and resources. There are a bunch of fun and engaging reading and writing student activities included in this resource. This allows you to pick and choose which ones work best for your time frame and group of students.

Part of the project is to decorate a pumpkin. Because not all students have the support for home projects and also because I knew many teachers wanted to complete the activities in class with their students, I have added a printable pumpkin option in the packet that can be done in class or at home with limited supplies and will look amazing displayed on a bulletin board with the completed printables.

What Does This Pumpkin Book Report Project Include?

This pumpkin book report project includes the following:

• project overview that suggests how to use the included resources in your classroom
• book project cover so you can create a keepsake that students can refer back to throughout the year and remember the fun activity they did as a class
• student directions and pacing guide that are ready to be sent home to families
• printable reading activities (reading logs, story maps, and character traits activities) that are copy and go, which saves you lots of time prepping
• summary drafting and publishing pages that come in multiple formats so you can differentiate based on your students’ needs
• pumpkin project planning page to help students plan and organize their ideas for how they will decorate their pumpkin
• tags for displaying the projects that will help you keep track of whose is whose
• printable pumpkin alternative if you choose not to use real pumpkins
• rubric that make expectations clear to students and grading quick and easy for you
• pumpkin viewing invitation that is ready to be sent home to families
• photos of completed projects to help your students come up with ideas of how they want to decorate their pumpkin
• digital resources so your students can complete this activity at school or for remote learning

How to Implement Pumpkin Book Projects in Your Classroom

Check out the steps for implementing this resource in your classroom below!

1. Select the activities you would like to use.

I recommend starting by looking through the pages. You’ll need to decide which ones would be most appropriate for your students and which ones fit your time frame. Some teachers use everything that is included and others pick one or two. You can decide what works best for you. In addition, you will need to decide if you are going to use the digital resources or printable resources. You may have decide to let students choose which one they prefer.

2. Determine the type of pumpkin students will be decorating.

Decide if you are going to have students decorate a real pumpkin, foam pumpkin from your local craft store, or simply decorate a paper template. I recently did a complete makeover of this project with all new pages and clipart and even added some bonus printables. Included you’ll now find paper versions of the pumpkins. These were added for teachers whose students may not have the home support needed for the original project or for those teachers who want to do it at school. Simply print the paper pumpkins and put out supplies for the students to use to decorate them to complement the activities in this packet. They’ll look great displayed together on a bulletin board.

3. Select a date and determine if you are going to use the calendar pacing guide template.

Next, consider creating a calendar of due dates for your students if you are including several steps to be completed. It is helpful for your students and their families to have a pacing guide. This helps students practice time management skills as well. You may want to provide the blank calendar and let them fill it in themselves. You can decide what works best for you and your students.

4. Decide if you are going to invite students’ families for a pumpkin viewing event.

I always set aside an afternoon and invite the families to come into the classroom to view the completed pumpkins as well as our other October projects and activities. If this is something you would like to do as well, then you can send home the pumpkin viewing template included in this resource.

5. Model how to complete a pumpkin book project.

One of my favorite books for teaching about character traits is The Paper Bag Princess by Robert Munsch. It provides clear examples which allow students to draw conclusions about the characters’ traits and emotions. I have my students do their own independent 3D Pumpkin Book Report at home with a book of their choice, I find it is helpful to model the project together in class and that book is perfect. I even have my students create a 2D version of the book project. Although it is not necessary because the project does include comprehensive print and go instructions (they are editable if you want to tweak them), parents do appreciate having a sample to reference.

6. Prep and send home the materials with your students.

Print out the teacher note, book project cover, student directions and calendar, reading logs, activity pages, writing templates, pumpkin tags, rubric, invitations, and any other materials from the packet that you would like to use. Send the materials home with your students so they can get started.

7. Collect the finished products as students complete them.

As students complete their pumpkin book report projects, encourage them to bring them into your classroom so you can display them. They make fun festive decorations.

8. Host a pumpkin viewing event. (Optional)

Even if you decided not to invite parents to a pumpkin viewing event, consider inviting your administration, students’ specialist teachers, other grade level classes, and reading buddies to view the pumpkins and listen to your students’ presentations. Your students have worked hard on these projects so it’s a great opportunity to celebrate.

When students are presenting their finished products, take pictures of each of them with their pumpkins and book reports. This is a great keepsake that you can hang in your classroom, send home to their families afterwards, and use in an end of the school year powerpoint presentation.

9. Display and assess students’ final projects.

Display students’ final products on a bulletin board or somewhere in the classroom. Students will love seeing each others pumpkins and they serve as great decorations for the Fall. Use the rubric included in the resource to assess your students’ work.

10. Send home your students’ final projects.

Send home the pumpkins and book reports with your students before the pumpkins begin to decay.

Summarizing a story helps children understand how to recognize the most important details in a text. It trains them to ignore information that is not relevant to the store. Most importantly it greatly improves reading comprehension.

• Providing students with a framework for summarizing is helpful. I have found success using a story map format. Younger learners can use illustrations and older learners can record the details in writing. Story maps are great graphic organizers for summarizing both verbally and when composing more detailed accounts.
• Teaching students to summarize is an ongoing task. As they begin to read higher level texts, the process of summarizing what they have read become more complex.
• Invite students to practice summarizing at home with their families after reading a book or chapter.
• Use summarizing teaching tools . These help students visualize and make sense of summarizing.
• Read aloud a variety of picture books that lend themselves to lessons on teaching summarizing. Some of my favorite picture books for teaching summarizing are The Paper Bag Princess, Cloudette, Hair Love, Alexander who used to be Rich Last Sunday, and Planting Stories . Check out these Starts With a Story resources for teaching summarizing .

Learning how to identify a character’s actions, thoughts, and motivations is an important reading skill because it increases comprehension and inferencing skills. It also helps students improve their writing by reinforcing the concept of “showing, not telling” when drafting stories.

• When teaching your learners about character traits it is important to be clear about the fact that character traits come from the inside and are part of a character’s personality. They are determined based on dialogue and actions.
• It is helpful to provide your students with a list of character traits. This will guide their thinking and improve their vocabulary. If you are using my Pumpkin Book Project Packet you will find an included list of traits. I suggest printing a copy for each student. You can also make an anchor chart to display in the classroom for students to reference throughout the year when they are asked to identify traits and also when they are writing.
• While identifying a character trait is an important skill, being able to support the claim by citing evidence from the text is key. Teach your students to refer to events from the book when discussing the traits. Get them in the habit of saying things like, “I think Charlotte is giving because she continued to spin the web to help Wilbur even when she was not feeling well.” Each claim should be followed by evidence.
• When working on identifying character traits, I find it is best to have the kids respond verbally until they become more proficient. By taking the act of recording in writing out of the equation, the children will be more willing to share lengthier responses. Once they demonstrate an understanding of the skill, you can begin to have them cite their text-based evidence in writing. More advanced learners can take the information from the book and elaborate further by explaining how the characters words and actions contribute to the events of the story.
• Read aloud a variety of picture books that lend themselves to lessons on teaching character traits. Some of my favorite picture books for teaching character traits are The Recess Queen, Gaston, Jabari Jumps , Not Norman, and Amazing Grace . Check out these Starts With a Story resources for teaching character traits . In addition, take a peek at these character traits teaching tools .

5 Reasons Teachers Love Our Pumpkin Book Report Project

Here are 5 reasons why teachers love this pumpkin book report project:

• The printable resources are quick and easy to prep. You just need to print and go!
• The resources make it easy to differentiate so you can meet the needs of all your students.
• Your principal, colleagues, and school librarian will be impressed by the creative book projects and your students will be proud to show off their projects.
• The scoring rubric makes it easy for parents and students to understand the expectations.
• This resource includes a digital Google Slides version so your students can access it at home or in school. This digital option lends itself well for Google Classroom.

• Read more about: SEASONAL IDEAS AND ACTIVITIES FOR ELEMENTARY TEACHERS

You might also like these posts...

May would you rather questions and activities for elementary students, april would you rather questions and activities for elementary students, november coloring: elementary color by code activities for 2024.

LET'S CONNECT

Hey there! I’m Jodi. I am a National Board Certified teacher with 17 years of experience in the classroom.

I created Clutter-Free Classroom to support busy elementary teachers like you!

FREEBIES FOR TEACHERS

Join the 75,000+ elementary teachers who receive free resources from us each week.

© Jodi Durgin | Clutter-Free Classroom, LLC • Website by KristenDoyle.co

Get Your Classroom Decor FREEBIE!

Language & Grammar

Science & Social Studies

Digital Learning

Pumpkin book reports.

My students were assigned their pumpkin book reports two weeks ago. I must say, I am AMAZED at how they turned out. Every single student did theirs, and they worked SO hard!

We used Hope King’s product for  Trick or Treating book reports!

Here is a huge photo collection of all the pumpkins, and some from the other classrooms!

For Your Viewing Pleasure

View from the Hallway

And here are a couple of glances down our first grade hallway!! 110 pumpkins on display! Can you imagine how exciting this entire project was for the whole school? Everyone enjoying each other’s craftsmanship and so much many familiar favorites to talk about with each other.

That’s it, 110 Pumpkin Book Reports!

I hope you enjoyed seeing the results of this project as much as I did and appreciate all the hard work these students put in on their reading and creativity! For more Halloween-themed content like this, check out this  post  featuring my 10 Favorite Halloween Read Alouds!

• Read more about: Classroom Organization , Fall Season , Halloween , Seasonal Holiday Blog Posts , Uncategorized

You might also like...

3 Easy Times to Squeeze Speaking and Listening Skills into Your Day

In today’s blog post we will talk about incorporating speaking and listening skills in your elementary classroom! Finding time to focus on these crucial skills

Introduction to Fractions: Partitioning, Shares, and Fractions in 1st and 2nd Grade

Hello teachers! Welcome to today’s blog post, where we will dive into the fascinating world of fractions, tailored specifically for 1st and 2nd-grade classrooms. Fractions

Teaching Text Features in the Spring

This isn’t the first time we’ve discussed using the current season as a way to make your ELA content more engaging. Adding the element of

Join these happy teachers

Join the email list.

Get teaching tips, how-to guides, and freebies delivered right to your inbox every Wednesday!

Hi, I'm Jessica

I help elementary teachers master the standards by providing helpful standards-based tips, guides, and resources.

Let's Connect

Access your purchases

© Elementary Nest • Website by KristenDoyle.co

Pumpkin Book Report Ideas

By: Author ABC's of Literacy

Posted on Last updated: September 15, 2021

What You'll Find On This Page

Pumpkin Book Report Ideas:

How to start making your pumpkin book report:.

After Decorating Your Pumpkin Book Report:

Pin it for later:.

You May Also Like:

More Pumpkin Activities for Kids:

Charmaine Powell

Thursday 20th of August 2020

L~O~V~E this idea!!! Thank you for sharing.

💥SAVE 83% OFF ECLIPSE MEGA BUNDLE WITH NEW ACTIVITIES HERE

HOME | BLOG | FREEBIES | SHOP

Home » Pumpkin Book Reports

Pumpkin Book Reports

• Halloween , Fall , Printables , Family Involvement

A perfect way to incorporate pumpkins, books, and learning! Find out how to incorporate Pumpkin Book Reports into your October lesson plans here!

This activity goes well with these resources:

Here’s how it works:

• Print the free letter and assign a due date.  Have them be due a couple days before you present them.
• Families make the pumpkins at home to resemble a book or a character.
• Students bring them in.  You display them and have the kids present their pumpkins to the class.

Here are a few of my personal favorite Pumpkin Book Reports I have seen over the years:

(Courtesy of the Ms. Johnson and the other teachers at Richardson Elementary via the  Simply Kinder Teacher Facebook Group ).

Do the pumpkins always look so perfect and polished?

Here are some additional samples of pumpkin book reports you may get:.

What do you do if a student does not bring in a pumpkin?

Get your free pumpkin book report download here:.

We’d love to see your pumpkin book reports pictures! Please share with #Simplykinder on Instagram !

With Unmatched Printables & Engaging Classroom Ideas, Simply Kinder is your TRUSTED TEAMMATE.

GET OUR EMAILS

Get our emails loaded with free resources, teaching ideas, and so much more! 

WHAT'S NEW?

You might also like...

[email protected]

• Teacher Facebook Group
• FAQ & Contact
• Refund Policy
• Get Our Emails
• SK Resource Shop
• SK My Downloads
• + Printable Membership

+  PRINTABLE MEMBERSHIP

• Pricing & Join
• Cancel Policy

© Simply Kinder

Terms & conditions, resource terms of use, privacy policy, refunds & cancellations, use of cookies, privacy overview, here's your freebie.

Here's a coupon code for your next purchase! CODE: 123456

You might also like:

• Sign In/Register
• Add a Subscription
• Subscribe to MBX Gold®
• Collections
• My Print Packet
• Make & Print Tools
• Cash for Your Ideas
• Lesson Plan Builder
• My Lesson Plans

Pumpkin Projects

Pumpkin book report projects.

Description

Create a pumpkin patch of readers this fall with a book report project that works just "vine!" After each student has finished her book, give her a paper plate-sized circle cut from orange construction paper. At a central location provide craft materials, such as markers, glue, and pipe cleaners. Direct each student to create a pumpkin based on her book's main character, such as a spider pumpkin for Charlotte's Web or a beagle pumpkin for Shiloh. Have each student share her pumpkin character with the class, along with a brief summary and review of her book. Then hold a class vote to see who designed the most unique pumpkin!

You May Also Like

Add to Collection

Add to your calendar.

• Choose one... Never Every Day Every Week Every Month
• External link:
• Add Note Remove Note

Print Packet is empty.

Forgot your password?

Already Registered?

Create an account.

• Confirm Password
• Grade Choose one... Toddler Prekindergarten Kindergarten Grade 1 Grade 2 Grade 3 Grade 4 Grade 5 Grade 6 Other

Reset Password

Please enter your email to receive instructions on changing your password., if you don't receive instructions, check your spam folder and then contact [email protected] ., password reset sent successfully.

We’ve sent an email to you containing a temporary link that will allow you to reset your password for the next 24 hours.

Please check your spam folder if the email doesn’t appear within a few minutes.

• Create a new password
• Confirm new password

Password successfully changed!

Now you can sign in or return to the home page.

404 Not found

Second Grade Joys!

Friday, October 2, 2015

• Pumpkin Book Report

Dear Parents,   For this trimester’s book report I have something very fun and festive planned for our second graders!   Each student will be creating a book report poster telling all about a narrative book of their choice, then they will use a pumpkin to create the main character of the book.     For the poster, written responses must be in complete, thoughtful, neat sentences.   Illustrations and other details should also represent best effort work.   Feel free to add details that will bring the project to life!   As for the pumpkin H it is time for our second graders’ creativity to shine!   The only criteria is that the main character of their book must be clearly depicted.   I have shown the kiddos some examples online and they are oh so excited to make their own projects!   I added the link on our blog that shows some fantastic examples for reference.   Projects are due Monday, October 26, 2015 .   This gives one week to find a book, one week to read it closely, and one week to work on the project.   Homework will be light during the last week so everyone has enough time to work. Thank you for partnering with me in this fun creative project!   Please don’t hesitate to reach out to me if you have any questions.                         Happy Reading,                            Mrs. Lara          examples

No comments:

Post a comment.

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.

Quick Links

• AR Home Connect
• Accelerated Reader
• Brain Pop Jr.
• Second Grade Happenings
• Spelling City
• Tumble Book Library

Search This Blog

Blog archive.

• ►  March (4)
• ►  January (4)
• ►  November (7)
• Family Venn Diagram
• Pumpkins and Cats
• Our Golden State
• HEART of an Eagle
• James and the Giant Peach
• ►  September (2)
• ►  August (1)
• ►  June (1)
• ►  May (6)
• ►  April (3)
• ►  March (7)
• ►  February (9)
• ►  January (8)
• ►  December (8)
• ►  November (4)
• ►  October (13)
• ►  September (11)
• ►  August (3)
• ►  July (3)
• ►  June (6)
• ►  May (20)
• ►  April (12)
• ►  March (11)
• ►  February (11)

What I'm Reading

"Rapping" Up 2nd Grade

• Spelling Words

Monday, October 10, 2016

Pumpkin book report, no comments:, post a comment.

Elementary Shenanigans

Pumpkin biographies & book reports {and a little sale}.

It’s the most wonderful time of the year…it’s almost fall y’all! I am so loving this fall weather that we have going on in the south! It has been gor-geous! One of the things that I get most excited about when fall draws near is all things pumpkin…pumpkin cheesecake, pumpkin pies, pumpkin muffins, pumpkin spice lattes…need I go on??? Praise the lawd for big sweaters! Ha!

I also love to bring all things pumpkin into the classroom! Many of you probably remember the pumpkin book reports that I posted about last year! They look a little something like this…

Yes…we turned pumpkins into our favorite book characters and wrote book reports on our “treats” to match! You can check out more of our pumpkins HERE or HERE ! They are so darn cute…even if I do say so myself! This has been a class fave every year! My kids talk about them FOR-E-VER!

That is why I am so excited to introduce my newest version of this unit…

As most of you know, I have followed my kiddos from 1st to 3rd. This means that we have put together pumpkin book reports for the last two years! This year, I have decided to switch things up a bit! We will be writing biographies about some of our favorite American Heroes and will create pumpkins to match!

Trick or Treat Biography Reports and Pumpkin Projects will be the highlight of all fall activities in your classroom. Everything you need to get this project up and running is included in this unit. I have created the initial parent letter and poem that will get your parents enthused about their part at home. Then I have created four biography report formats: K-1 Color Copies, K-1 Black and White Copies, 2-6 Color Copies and 2-6 Black and White Copies. Each biography section contains a parent letter, direction sheet, rubric, and fact treat cards. 2-6 has an additional first draft section since their report requires writing.

Or if you prefer the unit book report style, click on any of the pictures below! You can read more about this unit HERE !

And the best part…both units will be on sale until Friday afternoon! Until then, I will leave you with one my favorite pumpkins…

How cute is Annie?!? Ha! Night y’all!

10 comments:

Oh my goodness are those not the cutest little pumpkins ever! The kids must love this! Pixy Stix and Teacher Tricks

I love this! At our school we do a week long celebration for Dr. Seuss (as many others do too). One of the days is usually book character day. It was fun, but kids would always wear random costumes and not many participated. Last year, I saw this pumpkin and was inspired to do the same. Unfortunately pumpkins are not in season in March....so we used potatoes. Same idea different vegetable. They were a hit and far more kids participated. Laurie Chickadee Jubilee

This looks so cute!! :)

So cute and clever! I love it! Emily Tangled with Teaching

Love this packet! You are AMAZING! Ashley The Teacher's Treasure Chest www.teacherstreasurechest.blogspot.com

Hi Hope, I can't wait to see what your kids come up with this year! Shawna The Picture Book Teacher's Edition

This idea is amazing! Absolutely adorable!

I love how you have continued this pumpkin project each year and tweaked it just a bit to fit your students as they get older :) Elizabeth Fun in Room 4B

This looks like a super engaging activity! Do you assign this as a make at home project or do the students do this project in class?

Do you have your kids do this at home or do you have all the supplies for them to make them in class?

You are using an outdated browser. Please upgrade your browser or activate Google Chrome Frame to improve your experience.

Second graders turn pumpkins into book characters

Published 9:59 am Monday, November 6, 2017

By Abby Frye

Star Photo/Abby Morris-Frye As a project during the month of October, students in Becky Simerly's second grade class had to read a book of their choice, write a report on the book, and decorate a pumpkin to look like a character in their chosen book.

Star Photo/Abby Morris-Frye Students in Becky Simerly's Second Grade class at Happy Valley Elementary show off their pumpkin characters.

Students at Happy Valley Elementary recently got the chance to express their creativity while working on their reading skills.

As a project during the month of October, the students in Becky Simerly’s second grade class completed the “Pumpkin Book Report” project.

Subscribe to our free email newsletter

Get the latest news sent to your inbox

For the project, the students were asked to select a book to read. After they finished reading the book, the students were tasked with completing a report on the book and decorating a pumpkin to look like a character from their chosen book.

Each year the class does a family project, and this year the students were asked to get their family’s help in decorating their pumpkin.

“They could use any size pumpkin and use anything they wanted to decorate it,” Simerly said.

Simerly said she was pleased with the work done by her students and was impressed with how creative some of the pumpkins were.

Students chose a wide variety of characters for their pumpkins including Clifford the Big Red Dog, Minions, the Grumpy Cat, Nemo and Dory, Kung Fu Panda, and the witch from Room on the Broom.

“Several of them did Halloween themed books, so we read all of them on Halloween,” Simerly said.

In fact, Halloween turned into a day filled with reading and stories for the children. In addition to reading some of the books chosen by their classmates for the pumpkin project, the children were treated to a visit by students in the Storytelling program at East Tennessee State University. The ETSU students spent part of the day telling stories for the children.

The school also hosted their Accelerated Reader celebration that day. The AR program rewar ds students who earn points by reading books assigned to their grade level and then completing a small test about the book.

More Local news

T’s auto protection celebrates expansion with ribbon-cutting ceremony.

Tennessee Boy Scouts partner with ‘Nobody Trashes Tennessee’ campaign

ETSU alumna is National Teacher of the Year 

Tony Slaughter Farms of Kingsport named Wayne Scott Grower of the Year

Special section, more special sections.

• Classifieds
• Small Business
• Submit a News Tip
• Submit a Photo
• Submit A Classified Ad
• Engagement Announcement
• Wedding Announcement
• © 2024, www.elizabethton.com

Project: Pumpking Book Report

Autumn, Writing

Grade 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

About This Product

Pumpkin book report project.

A practical and entertaining teaching resource for grades one to five, the Pumpkin Book Report Project follows curriculum content in Language Arts , with focuses on writing, holidays, and the autumn season. It creatively engages young learners in a unique way.

About the Material

The project is delivered as a PDF file featuring:

Meticulously organized instructions and planning/sketch pages.

Individual report pages with structured outlines*.

An intelligible rubric system for educators#.

* These aid in fostering punctuality, neatness, prioritization skills. # Useful within both traditional school settings or home-schooling atmospheres.

Fostering Literacy Skills & Holiday Appreciation

This project goes beyond nurturing literacy skills through Language Arts topics. It also increases appreciation for holiday celebrations - particularly those occurring within the autumn season such as Halloween or Thanksgiving when pumpkins are prevalent symbols.

Additional Learning Support: 'An Onomatopoeia Adventure with Song'

The additional children's book offers depth into learning by presenting literary devices such as songs incorporating sound-imitating words to creatively instruct figurative language units!

In conclusion, expect your students' curiosity to pique while expanding their reading appreciations with pumpkin-themed activities which are inspired by books of their choice during this thrilling fall period! The Pumpkin Book Report Project is an educational treat filled with engaging resources centered around our beloved orange fruit’s lore.

Resource Tags

Check out these other great products

• Grades 6-12
• School Leaders

FREE Poetry Worksheet Bundle! Perfect for National Poetry Month.

The 15 Best Pumpkin Books to Read in the Classroom

You can use pumpkin books in nearly every part of your curriculum.

It’s fall, so grab some pumpkin spice coffee and let’s talk about books to use this season. Spending the whole season talking about Halloween is probably not on your curriculum schedule, so why not focus on pumpkins? Pumpkin books for kids can spark curiosity about change, seasons, agriculture, and geographic traditions. Here are 15 pumpkin books to use across your curriculum:

Pumpkin Books for Lower Elementary School

1. hello, harvest moon by ralph fletcher.

While tired farmers and their families are in bed, the harvest moon silently climbs into the sky and starts working its magic. For some, it is the nightly signal to rise and shine. It is time to hunt, to work, or to play in the shadows. For a little girl and her cat, it is an invitation to enjoy the wonders of the night and a last flood of light before the short days of winter set in.

2. Pumpkin Jack by Will Hubbell

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.

3. From Seed To Pumpkin by Wendy Pfeffer

These Let’s Read and Find Out books are fantastic for helping kids learn the science in their daily lives. This one shows the life cycle of a pumpkin.

4. How Many Seeds in a Pumpkin by Margaret McNamara

“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.”

5. Pumpkin Circle by George Levinson

It’s a circle without end. From pumpkin seeds to pumpkins to pumpkin seeds again! Amazing 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.

6. The Ugly Pumpkin by David Horowitz

The Ugly Pumpkin has waited all through October for someone to take him home, but no one wants him. He doesn’t look like other pumpkins. So the lonely Ugly Pumpkin leaves the patch in search of a place where he’ll fit in. By the time Thanksgiving arrives, he discovers the truth about who he is–but it’s not what he expected!

7. Splat the Cat and the Pumpkin-Picking Plan  by Catherine Hapka

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!

8.  Pete the Cat: Five Little Pumpkins by James Dean

Join Pete as he rocks out to this cool adaptation of the classic Halloween song!

9. The Biggest Pumpkin Ever by Steven Kroll

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!

10. Pumpkin Pumpkin by Jeanne Titherington

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.

Pumpkin Books for Upper Elementary School

11.  it’s not about you, mr. pumpkin by soraya diase coffelt.

“It’s Not About You Mr. Pumpkin” shares both the historical and religious background of the holiday.

12. The Pumpkin Book by Gail Gibbons

This book explores how pumpkins grow, their traditional uses and cultural significance.

13.  Rotten Pumpkin: A Rotten Tale in 15 Voices by David M. Schwartz

Compost won’t mean the same thing after readers have seen the amazing transformation of Jack from grinning pumpkin to mold-mottled wreckage to hopeful green shoot. The story of decomposition is vividly told so that science comes to life (and death).

14.  Plant Reproduction: How Do You Grow a Giant Pumpkin? by Cath Senker

This book is about competitive vegetable contests teaches readers about plant parts and plant reproduction.

15.  The Pumpkin Runner  by Marsha Diane Arnold

Nearly all the sheep ranchers in Blue Gum Valley rode horses or drove jeeps to check on their sheep. But Joshua Summerhayes liked to run…with Yellow Dog trailing behind him.” So it’s no surprise when Joshua decides to enter a race from Melbourne to Sydney. People laugh when old Joshua shows up in his overalls and gumboots, calmly nibbling a slice of pumpkin for energy. But then he pulls into the lead, and folks are forced to sit up and take notice.

More Pumpkin Resources:

3 clever uses for pumpkin seeds in the classroom.

• The Great Pumpkin Challenge: 7 Projects to Try This Fall
• 6 Spooktacular Math and Science Projects with Pumpkins

What are your favorite pumpkin books to use in the classroom? We’d love to hear more recommendations in the comments.

You Might Also Like

Learn how you can turn them into classroom rewards, a spelling game and more. Continue Reading

Copyright © 2023. All rights reserved. 5335 Gate Parkway, Jacksonville, FL 32256

Pumpkin Book Report

What educators are saying

Description.

Are you looking for a fun and creative Fall literacy project? This Pumpkin Book Report is one your students will never forget! This pumpkin project can be sent home for families to do together or your students can work together to complete it as a class. Each class in your school can create a different character pumpkin and have a school-wide contest.

What's Included:

✎ 2 Family Letters

✎ Pumpkin Book Report Plan Pages

✎ Pumpkin-Shaped Book Report (2 versions with different lines)

Please see the PREVIEW for an idea of what is included!

Common Core Standards:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.3

You May Also Like:

☑ Turkey Beginning Sounds Sort Activity

☑ Fall Morning Tubs

☑ Halloween Morning Tubs

Information For You: 

Each time you give feedback, TpT gives you feedback credits that you use to lower the cost of your future purchases.

Follow me and be notified when new products are uploaded. New products are 50% off for the first 24 hours they are posted.

If you have any questions, please feel free to email me or use the Ask a Question feature.

Questions & Answers

Abc's of literacy.

• We're hiring
• Help & FAQ
• Privacy policy
• Student privacy
• Terms of service
• Tell us what you think