Fall is almost here, which means it’s time to start thinking about pumpkins, apples, and fall festivals! Fall is my favorite time of year, and I love visiting the apple orchards and pumpkin patches with my family. Our neighbor is unintentionally growing pumpkins this year (squirrels love to bury pumpkin seeds it seems), so we have had the opportunity to watch them grow from vines into flowers, and finally into pumpkins. To celebrate the start of fall and continue our pumpkin education, I decided to gather a list of fun children’s books about pumpkins. From board books to picture books, and even non-fiction reads, there is a little something for everyone!

Standard Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. I may receive a commission from purchases you make through the links in this post.

Board Books

It’s Pumpkin Day, Mouse!

Written by Laura Numeroff and illustrated by Felicia Bond

This sweet board book follows the little Mouse from If You Give a Mouse a Cookie as he paints faces on the pumpkins in the patch. Each pumpkin face shows a different emotion, making this a great book for teaching kids to identify feelings.

Duck & Goose, Find a Pumpkin

Written and illustrated by Tad Hills

The popular Duck and Goose are back in this fall themed board book. When Duck and Goose see their friend carrying a pumpkin, they decide that they want one as well. While they search high and low to find a pumpkin, they explore simple concepts such as up, down, on, and under. Finally, a friend points out a simple solution, and the friends are proud of themselves for their job well done. The simple text is accompanied by cute illustrations of the two bird friends.

Related Post: Pick a Pumpkin

The Itsy Bitsy Pumpkin

Written by Sonali Fry and illustrated by Sanja Rescek

This festive spin on the classic rhyme “Itsy Bitsy Spider”, follows a tiny pumpkin as he rolls through town, passing all kinds of Halloween sights along the way.. The familiar rhyme will have little ones reading along, while the vibrant illustrations will have them smiling at the familiar sights of fall.

Bear Picks a Pumpkin

Written by Katelyn VanKooten and illustrated by Gill Guile

This beautifully illustrated board book follows a young bear while he searches through the pumpkin patch for the perfect pumpkin. He and his animal friends explore a wide variety of pumpkins in different shapes, sizes and patterns, before picking the right ones for them. The rhyming text and lush illustrations make this a great one to read with young kids.

Pumpkin Picture Books

The Biggest Pumpkin Ever

Written by Steven Kroll and illustrated by Jeni Bassett

This sweet story follows two little mice who decide to grow the biggest pumpkin ever. When they discover that they have been taking care of the same pumpkin, they decide to work together to achieve their goals. This is a sweet little story about the benefits of teamwork with a fun seasonal twist.

How Many Seeds in a Pumpkin?

Written by Margaret McNamara and illustrated by G. Brian Karas

This story introduces readers to the concepts of estimation and skip counting, all while teaching them a lesson about pumpkins and not making judgments. The colorful and fun illustrations show all the fun that can be had with pumpkins, including scraping out the seeds and roasting them. The book tells a sweet story, while tying in math and science, making this a great read aloud to share with the family.

See how we used How Many Seeds in a Pumpkin? to learn about math and pumpkins!

Pumpkin Jack

Written and illustrated by Will Hubbell

When a young boy leaves his rotting pumpkin in the garden, he finds that it starts growing new pumpkins! The illustrations are beautiful and detailed, while the text is engaging and provides lots of information on the life cycle of pumpkin plants.

It’s Pumpkin Time!

Written by Zoe Hall and illustrated by Shari Halpern

This story follows a young boy and girl while they plant and tend to a pumpkin patch. They start with a patch of soil and a packet of seeds, and show all the steps necessary to care for their pumpkins. The text provides a simple explanation of the life cycle of a pumpkin patch, while the illustrations are vibrant and colorful.

I Like Pumpkins

Written and illustrated by Jerry Smath

This rhyming story explores all of the types, uses, and parts of pumpkins. The illustrations are colorful and humorous, while the rhyming text makes it a fun story to read aloud.

Plumply, Dumply Pumpkin

Written by Mary Serfozo and illustrated by Valeria Petrone

Peter the tiger is looking for the perfect pumpkin. Through descriptive rhyming text and large, colorful illustrations, readers follow along while Peter searches for the perfect pumpkin to make his jack-o-lantern.

Pumpkin Town!

Written by Kate McKy and illustrated by Pablo Bernasconi

When a group of brothers accidentally send pumpkin seeds raining down on the town below their mountain, the pumpkins grow and take over the town. The brothers feel responsible for the damage, so they sneak down at night to fix their mistake. The story has a great message about making wrongs right again, while the striking and unique illustrations will capture the attention of young readers.

Check out the fun activities that we paired with Pumpkin Town here!

Little Boo

Written by Stephen Wunderli and illustrated by Tim Zeltner

A little pumpkin seed is desperate to be scary. But the leaves, the bugs, and even the snowflakes aren’t scared of him. The wind tells him that he will be scary soon, but the little seed is impatient. Eventually the seed grows into a bright orange pumpkin, who is finally given the chance to be scary. This story will resonate with kids who are often in a rush to grow up, and the accompanying illustrations are colorful and adorable.

The Legend of Spookley the Square Pumpkin

Written by Joe Troiano and illustrated by Susan Banta

Spookley is a little pumpkin who isn’t round like the other pumpkins in his patch. He can’t roll like the other pumpkins, and he wishes that he wasn’t shaped like a square. But when a windy storm hits the pumpkin patch, his unique shape allows him to save the day. This book has a great message about celebrating what makes you unique.

Non-Fiction Pumpkin Books

Seed, Sprout, Pumpkin, Pie

Written by Jill Esbaum

This book takes readers through the life cycle of pumpkins. The bright and vivid photographs are paired with informative text that explains how pumpkins grow, while also providing readers with familiar sights of the Fall season.

From Seed to Pumpkin

Written by Wendy Pfeffer and illustrated by James Graham Hale

This easy to read book introduces kids to the growth cycle of pumpkins through simple text and large, clear illustrations. The “Find Out More” section includes extra activities that you can use to extend the learning.

What are your favorite children’s books about pumpkins? Share in the comments below!

More Posts You May Enjoy: