17 Best halloween pumpkin books for kids

Fall Pumpkin Books

Amara’s Farm by JaNay Brown-Wood, illustrated by Samara Hardy
Learn about pumpkins with Amara, who needs to harvest her pumpkins. As she searches the farm, we learn about the characteristics of pumpkins by searching, comparing, and contrasting. For example: “A pumpkin is big and round. Is that a pumpkin? // Are not. It’s an apple. The apple is round but not as big as a pumpkin.” A good fall book to read for the fall harvest season.

Pumpkin Soup by Helen Cooper
Three good friends Cat, Squirrel, and Duck always cook pumpkin soup the same way, doing the same things. Each person does their own thing until Duck wants to stir instead of adding salt. The friends fight and Duck goes on a rampage. Luckily, the three resolved their differences, learned to compromise and support each other, and still enjoyed their pumpkin soup in the end. No matter how messy the process gets. I love the messages of friendship and cooperation!

Apples and Pumpkins by Anne Rockwell, illustrated by Lizzy Rockwell
On a bright fall day, a little girl picks apples and searches for the perfect pumpkin.

Pumpkin Jack by Will Hubbell
Tim loved his pumpkin so much that he named it Jack. After Halloween, he took his slowly rotting pumpkin to the garden. There, Tim watches Jack decompose and notices that in the spring, pumpkins grow in the same spot. A wonderful story about plants, their life cycles, and the seasons.

Seed, Sprout, Pumpkin, Pie by Jill Esbaum
Colorful photos and well-written text explain the life cycle of pumpkins from seeds to roots to vines and pollination to harvest.

How Big Could Your Pumpkin Grow? by Wendell Minor
Have you heard about the pumpkin festival where the biggest pumpkins win prizes? What else can you do with your giant pumpkins? The author imagines if there were giant pumpkins all over America – as big as the Grand Canyon or at a hot air balloon festival in New Mexico carved and used as boats in a race! Have fun!

The Roll-Away Pumpkin by Junia Wonders, illustrated by Daniela Volpari
Just as the Gingerbread Man ran away, this pumpkin was also rolling away. Just like that, more and more people joined the girl named Marla as she chased it. Every time she sees someone new, she exclaims, “Diddle-dee-doo! Oh, what should I do?” Exquisite illustrations, recurring sentences, and a charming story make this a favorite pumpkin-themed story about helping and sharing.

Too Many Pumpkins by Linda White, illustrated by Megan Lloyd
Rebecca likes gardening but she hates pumpkins because as a child she always ate them. So when a pumpkin fell off the truck near her yard, she shoveled dirt on it and forgot about it. Until… pumpkin seeds sprouted and pumpkins took over her garden. Rebecca turned her thoughts to using pumpkins and pumpkin recipes to spread joy in her community.

Halloween & Thanksgiving Pumpkin Books

Where Is Baby’s Pumpkin? by Karen Katz
Don’t you just love Karen Katz’s books? In this adorable Halloween-flavored story, babies search around the house for pumpkins. Help her find it by lifting the lid. Where will it be?

We’re Going on a Pumpkin Hunt by Goldie Hawk, illustrated by Angie Rozelaar
A fun adaptation of “We’re Going on a Bear Hunt” that’s perfect for reading aloud for Halloween! The Trick or Treat friends are searching for the perfect pumpkin, but to find it, they must brave spider webs, bats, and a spooky house. But they are not afraid!! Lots of fun spooky sounds like “clack, pat, tickle, and meow” for readers to chant along.

Pumpkin Trouble by Jan Thomas
Duck starts carving a jack-o-lantern but accidentally falls into the pumpkin– and gets stuck. And the results are funny! The duck’s antics will give your kids (and you) a headache.

It’s Pumpkin Day, Mouse! By Laura Numeroff
Learn about emotions in this simple board book. The mouse drew seven pumpkins with different types of faces – silly, scary, friendly, and sad. Love it.

The Itsy Bitsy Pumpkin by Sonali Fry, illustrated by Sanja Rescek
Using the nursery rhyme “The Itsy Bitsy Spider” as inspiration, this Halloween story is about a pumpkin trying to find its way home. With a little help from a witch, the tiny pumpkin returned to his porch. Kids love that you can sing or read this adorable pumpkin book to them.

The Ugly Pumpkin by Dave Horowitz
The rhyming text tells the story of a pumpkin that was never picked. Finally, he left the pumpkin patch to search for where he belonged. And then he finds out the truth – he’s a mystery – and he gets a place at the beautiful table for Thanksgiving.

Big Pumpkin by Erica Silverman, illustrated by S.D. Schindler
How did the witch get the biggest, heaviest pumpkin off the vine? You’ll be surprised who can help! (Hint: It’s not a vampire or a ghost.)

Invisible Inkling Dangerous Pumpkins by Emily Jenkins
Invisible Inkling is an invisible headband that lives with fourth grader Hank. He also likes to eat pumpkin. Unfortunately, the Inkling destroyed the pumpkins that Hank’s sister was entering in the Dangerous Pumpkin contest and Hank was blamed. Will everything go well for Hank and Inkling? We certainly hope so!