Explore: Pumpkins

on National Pumpkin Day

Is it a fruit? Is it a vegetable? Orange you interested in finding out?

Today is National Pumpkin Day! Let's take a closer look!

Young children will learn about the parts of a pumpkin and how they grow from this video from Scholastic.

Jessi and Squeaks from SciShow Kids want to learn more about the inside of a pumpkin. How? By dissecting it! Learn the answer to whether a pumpkin is a fruit or vegetable too.

Want to learn more? Check out the pumpkin books we have at the library! Come in and browse our collection or reserve some online for curbside pickup with your EGVPL card.

There are many ebooks about pumpkins available on Hoopa Digital too. You can download them with your EGVPL card.

Click on the image to learn how pumpkins grow, their traditional uses, and cultural significance in the read along ebook, "The Pumpkin Book", written and illustrated by Gail Gibbons.

Evy is so focused on watching her garden grow that she misses all the silliness going on around her - pigs DANCING, donkeys FLYING, and sheep HAVING A PICNIC. What is Evy doing? Find out when you click on the image and watch the read along video retelling of the book, ""Pumpkin Time!". written by Erzsi Deàk and illustrated by Doug Cushman.

There are so many fun ways for Flat Stanley to help on his uncle's farm in the fall. Being flat comes in handy when picking corn and even acting like a scarecrow! But when pumpkins begin to disappear right before the county fair, will Flat Stanley be able to help? Find out when you click on the image to follow along with the read along ebook, "Flat Stanley and the Missing Pumpkins", written by Jeff Brown and illustrated by Macky Pamintuan.

The witch has grown the biggest pumpkin ever, and now she wants to make herself a pumpkin pie for Halloween, but the pumpkin is so big she can't get it off the vine! She enlists some friends to help but the ghost, vampire, and mummy can't make it move. It looks as if there’ll be no pumpkin pie for Halloween, until along comes the bat with an idea to save the day. Can the tiny bat succeed where bigger and strong spooky creatures have failed? Find out when you watch the video read aloud of the book, "Big Pumpkin", written by Erica Silverman and illustrated by S.D. Schindler. 

Christopher Pumpkin is not like all the other evil pumpkins of the wicked old witch. Christopher prefers cupcakes and hugs to cobwebs and slugs, unlike the rest of the pumpkin brood. But when the creepy clan starts planning the SCARIEST Halloween party ever, Christopher's cheerful ideas for décor and treats cause a bit of a stir. Can he find a way to scare everyone and stay true to himself? Find out when you listen to the video read aloud of the book, "Christopher Pumpkin", written by Sue Henry and illustrated by Paul Linnet.

When Buck, Billy, and their little sister Lil spy the biggest pumpkin they've ever seen, they can't resist. Buck and Billy try to roll the pumpkin down the hill to show everyone, but it's too big! Before they know it, it's bumping and thumping and rolling down the hillside out of control. Watch the video read aloud of the book, "The Runaway Pumpkin", written by Kevin Lewis and illustrated by S.D. Schindler, for a bumpin' thumpin' rhyming story about the delicious fate of a gigantic pumpkin on the run.

All summer, Little Nell has tended the garden with BIG Mama, BIG Sarah, and BIG Lizzie, and finally the pumpkins are ready for Halloween. Her sisters choose smooth, round pumpkins to carve, but Little Nell likes a bumpy little one best. Here sisters think it's bumpy, little, and ugly, but Little Nell doesn't agree. Watch the video read aloud of the book, "The Bumpy Little Pumpkin", for a sweet tale that shows that jack-o'-lanterns, like people, come in all shapes and sizes, and that BIG ideas and a BIG heart resound in even the smallest of us. It is written by Margery Cuyler and illustrated by Will Hillenbrand. 

Five little pumpkins sitting on a gate... The first one said, "My, it's getting late!"... Count with the pumpkins from one to five as they each experience the fun and spookiness of Halloween night! The video read aloud of the book, "Five Little Pumpkins", from Tiger Tales and illustrated by Ben Mantle, is the perfect story for young children.

Up for a challenge? Try making your way through one of these pumpkin mazes. Click on each image to print them out at home. 

Feel like coloring? Click on the image for coloring pages you can print out at home. Choose from plain pumpkins, cute pumpkins, funny pumpkins, and scary pumpkins!

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