Celebrate fall with apples and pumpkins
A Read, Discuss, Do autumn book list
It’s October, and for many of us that means apple and pumpkin season. So, as a special treat for fall, we created a list inspired by two of autumns greatest gifts: apples and pumpkins! Some of these books are specifically about apples or pumpkins, and in others they simply make an appearance. But they are all great books that would be a fun addition your fall reading!
Are you team apple or team pumpkin? Let us know in the comments!
Read: Any book featuring apples or pumpkins or both!
Discuss:
For fiction, discuss the story and characters. Did you enjoy the book? Who was your favorite character? What part did apples or pumpkins play in the story?
For nonfiction (or informational fiction), what new fact about apples or pumpkins did you learn?
What do you think is a better fall treat? An apple? Or a pumpkin?
Have you ever picked apples at an orchard? Or pumpkins at a pumpkin patch?
What is your favorite apple treat? Pumpkin treat?
Do:
Visit a pumpkin patch or apple orchard.
Make a pie! There is an apple pie recipe at the bake of How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World. For pumpkin, my favorite is Libby’s Famous Pumpkin Pie.
Buy several varieties of apples and have an apple tasting party. Which apple will come out on top? If you’re really ambitious, go all out and make brackets for an “apple madness” tournament.
Make jack-o-lanterns or paint faces on pumpkins.
Toddlers love to find things. Buy a mini-pumpkin or several mini-pumpkins and hide them either indoors or outdoors. Have fun hunting for them like Easter eggs.
Learn to draw apples or pumpkins. Use your new skill to make a seasonal card to send to a friend or relative.
Visit our Instagram account for more apple and pumpkin activity ideas!
And now, for the list!
Fall Mixed Up by Robert Raczka and illustrated by Chad Cameron is a silly book your child is sure to love. All through the pages the rhyming text flips ideas like” apples turn orange and pumpkins turn red. Leaves float up into blue skies overhead.” Kids will love correcting the author’s silly “mistakes.”’
How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World by Marjorie Priceman is a treasure that you will enjoy over and over again. When the market is closed, the main character goes to CRAZY lengths to gather the ingredients to make her pie. She goes on a steamboat to Italy for the wheat, hitches a ride to England to steal a cow for the milk, and even lands in Sri Lanka for the cinnamon. You will also experience an amazing geography lesson and learn about where everyday ingredients actually come from. Grab a map and snuggle up for an amazing tale!
Duck & Goose Find a Pumpkin by author-illustrator Tad Hills. If you have a toddler, you will love the simplicity of the adorable Duck & Goose series. In this simple book, Duck and Goose want a pumpkin and look in many places to find one. They finally discover something called a pumpkin patch!
Too Many Pumpkins by Linda White and illustrated by Megan Lloyd is a proven winner for the harvest season. It is an older book with longer text, but the engaging storyline will interest your child. The story is about an old woman named Rebecca Estelle who does NOT like pumpkins. One gets smashed on her lawn and turns into a giant pumpkin harvest. She decides to bake pumpkin goodies and carve the pumpkins to share with everyone in her town. Even though she doesn’t like pumpkins, she can still share and bring joy to others.
How Many Seeds in a Pumpkin? (Mr. Tiffin's Classroom Series) written by Margaret McNamara and illustrated by G. Brian Karas is the story of a class who does an experiment and tries to guess how many seeds there are in three different sizes of pumpkins. It is a great book to help your child learn to count by 2s, 5s, and 10s."
Apple vs. Pumpkin by Jeffrey Burton, illustrated by Lydia Jean. Apple and Pumpkin debate about which is the best fall treat. A funny and colorful book about fall!
Hello, Fall! by Deborah Diesen, illustrated by Lucy Fleming. A sweet story about a girl and her grandfather welcoming fall by enjoying a variety of fall activities together.
Runaway Pumpkins by Teresa Bateman, illustrated by Stephanie Phizer Coleman. A trip to the pumpkin patch nearly ends in disaster when the pumpkins fall out of the bus, but the students make the most of it, and then they get a pleasant surprise from the kind neighbors who witnessed the tragedy. A fun story about making the most of an unfortunate situation.
The Biggest Pumpkin Ever by Steven Kroll, illustrated by Jeni Basset. This story is about two mice who just happen to both be caring for the same pumpkin, which grows into the biggest pumpkin ever. One mouse wants it for the pumpkin grown contest. The other wants to carve it into the best jack-o-lantern.
The Biggest Apple Ever by Steven Kroll, illustrated by Jeni Basset. A school has a contest for who can find the biggest apple, and when two friends realize they’re not going to win, they decide to make the biggest apple pie ever.
Apple Trouble by Ragnhild Scamell. Hedgehog is in a pickle when a ripe apple falls from the tree above and gets stuck in her spines, keeping her from fitting into her nest. When other food items get stuck on her, she fears never getting into her nest. Friends try to help, but there’s only one animal who can help–by eating it all off.
Pumpkin Soup by Helen Cooper Three friends decide to make pumpkin soup together, but when they start fighting and one friend leaves, the other two must set out to bring him home. A story that would be great for siblings, friends, and anyone who needs to work to overlook imperfections for the sake of companionship.
The Apple Pie Tree by Zoe Hall, Illustrated by Shari Halpern Join two children as they grow, pick, and prep the most important part of an apple pie!
And one for the middle grade readers…
Heartbeat by Sharon Creech. In this heartwarming novel in verse about family and friendship, the main character’s art teacher gives her class an assignment to draw the same apple every day for 100 days.