Check out these wonderful Halloween pumpkin books for preschool and kindergarten read alouds!
The Pumpkin Who Was Afraid of the Dark
By Michelle Robinson | Illustrated by Mike Byrne
Published by Kane Miller
This is a recent favorite of mine. I love the adorable illustrations, rhyming text and the overall message. While most pumpkins (and children) love Halloween, there are some who don’t - and that’s ok! Having the courage to overcome fear and share your light can brighten up even the spookiest night of the year! A beautifully crafted rhyming read aloud with a classic feel.
We're Going on a Pumpkin Hunt
By Goldie Hawk | Illustrated by Angie Rozelaar
Published by Little, Brown, and Company
Based on the well-known chant “We’re Going on a Bear Hunt” this is a must-read interactive book for Halloween. You can decide on movements to accompany the repeated phrases “meow, meow, tickle-swish, flap-flap, and creaky squeak” beforehand to make the read aloud a complete chantable activity with movement!
Pumpkin Trouble
By Jan Thomas
Published by HarperCollins
Duck gets stuck in a pumpkin while trying to carve it and hilarity ensues. Short and sweet with great comedic pacing, this book is ripe with opportunities for characterization, visual literacy, narrative structure, and dialogic reading.
Mr. Pumpkin's Tea Party
By Erin Barker
Published by Blue Manatee Press
An absolutely charming book that will please even the fanciest little ghouls, if you have a British accent you’ve been waiting to use (or naturally possess) this is the perfect read aloud. Each page highlights a different elegantly spooky guest and a different number from 1-13 (of course!)
Pumpkin Eye
By Denise Fleming
Published by Henry Holt and Company
This remains one of my personal favorite Halloween books for many reasons. Fleming has such a good balance of text to image ratio, so each evocative, rhythmic phrase can really be savored. The words integrate beautifully with the bold illustrations, which have a spooky, whimsical feel that really captures the spooky, fun nature of trick-or-treating. Incorporate voice and movement every time the text repeats “Trick or treat - pounding feet” by having the children say the phrase and stomp their feet (this works in a sitting position as well!)
Ten Orange Pumpkins: A Counting Book
By Stephen Savage
Published by Dial Books for Young Readers
Count down as 10 orange pumpkins disappear in spooky ways, one by one. Rhyming text and high-contrast illustrations (with lots of cool silhouettes) make this a great choice for young readers who are learning to interpret images and count up and down. Bring movement into the read aloud by having children pretend their fingers are the pumpkins, or by pantomiming some of the actions in the book.