Book Review
by Haley Bono
The Halloween season is upon us, and what better way to celebrate than by picking out a pumpkin and carving our favorite spooky or funny faces on it. Pumpkin carving is a beloved tradition in my home, so it was no surprise that we thoroughly enjoyed the book Pick a Pumpkin, by Patricia Toht.
This book takes the reader on an exciting journey from pumpkin patch to trick-or-treating. It is a wonderful book that touches on many of the popular Halloween traditions in a fun and family-friendly way. The pictures truly capture the wonderful fall season and will make any child eager for the Halloween festivities.
This is a popular book, but it has been a few years since its publication. You may find it at your local bookstore, but if not you can buy it here on Amazon. Or you can check your local library, which is where I stumbled on the T shelf of the Picture Book section.
Activity
Why not create your very own pumpkin patch with this fun activity? Make a pumpkin patch, choose your favorite pumpkin, and put it in the truck to take home!
Supplies:
Free Printable Template (there will be a download at the end of the post), something to color with, scissors, and clear tape.
Directions:
- Color each template.
- On the second page, cut out the grass, pumpkins, and truck bed.
- Using the clear tape, tape the outer edges of the grass and truck bed on the designated spaces. Make sure to leave the top untapped.
- Now you can place all your pumpkins in the field, and pick one to put in the truck bed.
Different Variations:
- As an added activity you can draw faces on the pumpkins to turn them into jack-o-lanterns.
- You can use this activity as a way to encourage your kids to tell a story: What is their favorite pumpkin at the pumpkin patch? Why? What do they plan to do with the pumpkin when they take it home? What type of face will they carve into it? Where will they place the pumpkin once it’s carved?
- You can also use this as a sorting activity. Some questions you can ask are: Which pumpkins are the same color? Which pumpkins have leaves, which pumpkins are bigger, and which pumpkins are smaller? You can always print extra pumpkin pages for more variety to sort.
Author: Haley Bono
Haley is a mom of two who loves reading and writing. She spends most of her time brainwashing her kids into loving books as much as she does. She does this by reading to them daily from her personal library that never seems to have enough room for the number of books she buys. When she isn't tormenting her family with literature, she enjoyes the outdoors and cooking weird food.