Pumpkin Season!

Fall is here and that means it's pumpkin season! Time for pumpkin picking, pumpkin carving, pumpkin seed roasting, pumpkin pie making, pumpkin spice lattes.... While getting kids pumped up for pumpkins, why not teach them how pumpkins grow? These books offer a fun and easy to follow introduction to the basic life cycle of a seed.

Pumpkin (Watch it Grow)
Written by Barrie Watts
Published by Smart Apple Media; Copyright 2003
Ages 4 and up

Watch a pumpkin grow from a seed the size of a grape to a basketball-sized fruit! Author Barrie Watts uses large text and color photographs to detail the biology and growth cycle of the pumpkin. The book includes a table of contents, a word bank that provides definitions for basic scientific terms, a life cycle synopsis and an index with quick page references. Children can learn how pumpkins grow by reading the simple text or by following the pretty pictures.


From Seed to Pumpkin (Let's-Read-and-Find-Out Science)
Written by Wendy Pfeffer, Illustrated by James Graham Hale
Published by Harper Collins; Copyright 2004
Ages 4 to 8
Lexile 640L

From Seed to Pumpkin takes a less scientific approach to explaining the life cycle of the pumpkin, and uses beautiful illustrations to show how pumpkin seeds are farmed, fed, and harvested. At the conclusion of the growth of the pumpkin, there are fun facts about this fruit (yes, fruit!), instructions for roasting pumpkin seeds, and a demonstration of how pumpkins drink water from the ground. This is a great read for younger children who can easily follow along with the pictures to learn how the pumpkin grows.

Pumpkins
Written by Ken Robbins
Published by Roaring Brook Press; Copyright 2006
Ages 4 to 8

Yet another book about the life cycle of a pumpkin! This book also uses large, colorful photographs to illustrate how a pumpkin grows from a seed. It also illustrates how to carve a pumpkin (with an adult's help, of course), and shows what becomes of the pumpkin when the fun is over (hint: the pumpkin rots). A fun, simple read for young children to get them in the spirit of the fall holidays!

More recommended titles:

The Pumpkin Patch by Elizabeth King
Ages 3 and up
Lexile 590L

Pick a Perfect Pumpkin by Robin Michal Koontz
Copyright 2010
Ages 6 to 8
Lexile 380L

How to Carve Freakishly Cool Pumpkins by Sarah L. Schuette
Copyright 2011
Ages 8 to 10
Lexile IG700L