Pumpkins

As I said in my last post, I know everyone is not into Halloween as much as I am.  (I have no idea why).  That said, we *try* not to mention Halloween *too* much in our pumpkin theme.  I think most of the parents stay away anyway just to be safe, but still - we try.

Pumpkin Circle by George Levenson. This is a book we just added to our repertoire this past year.  And if you're saying, "But wait, I've read that, and I know it mentions Halloween".  Yes, but only at the end of the book, and we just don't read that part.  Honestly?  It's knowing who your audience is and what you can and can't get away with.  This book has good facts about the different types of pumpkins and how they're grown, and a few traditions around the United States - like the pumpkin boat races.

Plumply, Dumply Pumpkin by Mary Serfozo. This cute little story features a tiger picking out juuust the right pumpkin.  For what?  Pickling?  Pie?  Nope, a jack-o-lantern.  It can be quite a tongue-twister at times, but a fun read.

The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything by Linda Williams.  Totally a classic, right?  The kids have so much fun doing all the motions that go with the story.  And I try to go a little faster when I do them, so by the time she gets to her house, we're going really fast (because she's running, of course).

The Runaway Pumpkin by Kevin Lewis.  To me?  Another classic.  I've read it so many times, but it's a coin-flip as to whether I read it for pumpkins or Halloween - it just depends on who is there.  This one can also be quite the tongue-twister, but the kids get a kick out the rhyme.

How Big Could Your Pumpkin Grow? by Wendell Minor. This is another new one we introduced last year.  It shows GIANT jack-o-lanterns with different state monuments and has just a short line or two on each page.  The back has facts about each monument featured.  Since most of the other books are long, this would be a good one to break that up.