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It's Pumpkin Time!
After deciding to grow their own pumpkin for Halloween, a brother and sister pull together all their efforts and plant a pumpkin patch, which they monitor with tender, constant care until they are precisely ready for picking. Reprint.
40 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 1994
5 people are currently reading
260 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 73 reviews
September 26, 2020
Two Halloween-loving siblings cultivate a field of pumpkins in this seasonal picture-book from author Zoe Hall and illustrator Sheri Halpern. They plant the seeds, water the seedlings, and watch as the pumpkins slowly grow. Eventually, when the time is right, they harvest the pumpkins and turn them into jack-o-lanterns, getting ready for the big night when they go trick-or-treating...
Published in 1994, It's Pumpkin Time! was the first of four picture-book collaborations between Hall and Halpern, of which I had already read one, The Apple Pie Tree . Having enjoyed that subsequent title, I picked this one up with anticipation, and was not disappointed. It's quite simple, and clearly aimed at younger children, but I appreciated the way in which the narrative shows the entire process whereby pumpkins are grown, rather than just the harvest time, which books of this sort often choose as their focus. In this sense, it was quite similar to The Apple Pie Tree , which was autumnal in feeling, but also covered the entire year in an apple tree's growth. The accompanying paper collage artwork from Halpern was colorful and appealing, in a folksy way. Recommended to picture-book readers looking for autumnal and/or Halloween stories.
Published in 1994, It's Pumpkin Time! was the first of four picture-book collaborations between Hall and Halpern, of which I had already read one, The Apple Pie Tree . Having enjoyed that subsequent title, I picked this one up with anticipation, and was not disappointed. It's quite simple, and clearly aimed at younger children, but I appreciated the way in which the narrative shows the entire process whereby pumpkins are grown, rather than just the harvest time, which books of this sort often choose as their focus. In this sense, it was quite similar to The Apple Pie Tree , which was autumnal in feeling, but also covered the entire year in an apple tree's growth. The accompanying paper collage artwork from Halpern was colorful and appealing, in a folksy way. Recommended to picture-book readers looking for autumnal and/or Halloween stories.
October 26, 2019
A cute children’s book with beautiful painted pictures. It describes how a brother and sister get ready for Halloween by growing pumpkins and carving them into jack o lanterns. At the end it includes a couple pictures with easy to understand pictures of how the seed grows into a plant underground. It was a quick but enjoyable read and the pictures were fun to look at!
November 23, 2018
This book gives a detailed description of how pumpkins grow. My son and I loved reading it together! I like the style of the illustrations as well.
March 28, 2024
A little boring but serves its purpose with teaching narrative and following directions.
February 9, 2010
I liked the dog, the pumpkins, and the information in the back of the book about how pumpkins grow from pumpkin seeds. The illustrations were okay to good. The story was boring, I thought.
October 29, 2017
Summary: This book is about a brother and sister who are getting ready for their favorite holiday. It goes through all the steps of how they planted pumpkin seeds to make a pumpkin patch. They go trick-or-treating at the end.
Evaluation: I really liked this book! It had really colorful illustrations. It was accurate in the steps of how a pumpkin grows.
Teaching Idea: I would use this book to teach my class the life cycle of a pumpkin. After we read this book, we would go back to our seats and draw illustrations of the life cycle.
Evaluation: I really liked this book! It had really colorful illustrations. It was accurate in the steps of how a pumpkin grows.
Teaching Idea: I would use this book to teach my class the life cycle of a pumpkin. After we read this book, we would go back to our seats and draw illustrations of the life cycle.
October 11, 2017
This book is great for the month of October. It talks about how you can grow pumpkins. It also shows the stages of growing that a pumpkin goes through and how they change colors. Then by the end of the book, it gives a description about how pumpkin seeds grow undergo. Therefore, I liked this book because even though it is very simple, it is also very informational.
October 16, 2017
This is a cute short read about two brothers and sisters getting ready for Halloween early by planting pumpkin seeds. The story goes on to show the pumpkins growing big and then turning into jack-o-lanterns for the holiday. I thought this was a good little book especially for ELL students to learn about one of the fun traditions that go along with Halloween.
October 28, 2018
The story shows how to grow a pumpkin in a simple way by a step by step process. The book is good to show young children how plants grow around fall. The children are able to see the process of a pumpkin growing. The beginning and end of the book show seeds then pumpkins and Jack-o-lanterns which can hook a child into the story.
November 2, 2018
My little ones checked this out from the library, and I totally used it for a Popsugar Reading Challenge prompt including Halloween, because I'm being kind to myself in a category that I don't particularly care for. That being said, I really liked this book and its illustrations. It's wonderful for it's intended audience (ask me exactly how many times I've read it, grin).
June 6, 2020
I really like this book because it shows that it takes time and effort to grow a pumpkin. This would be a good choice for a text set for the fall season or spring season since it encompasses both. It would also be a good mentor text for chronological writing. There are a lot of activities that go with this text online as well. This is a K-2 level book.
June 17, 2020
Children's literature informational text picture book
Pk-1
Simple, pretty book about Halloween pumpkins and how they grow to be big and orange. I like how the book asks the students to 'guess' what will happen next. Good for minilesson on prediction; also would work to show sequencing in writing.
Pk-1
Simple, pretty book about Halloween pumpkins and how they grow to be big and orange. I like how the book asks the students to 'guess' what will happen next. Good for minilesson on prediction; also would work to show sequencing in writing.
October 5, 2021
Two siblings plant, tend, harvest, and carve pumpkins.
This picture book teaches the life cycle of the pumpkin plant. And the step-by-step germination of a pumpkin seed is shown on the last page.
The text is short and simple, and the illustrations are collage artwork.
This was one of my fall story time staples.
This picture book teaches the life cycle of the pumpkin plant. And the step-by-step germination of a pumpkin seed is shown on the last page.
The text is short and simple, and the illustrations are collage artwork.
This was one of my fall story time staples.
October 25, 2018
Read with: PreK
They enjoyed it and made many connections. There are not many words so it is a shorter story which allowed them more time to make comments and connections about pumpkins, etc.
I would definitely read it again with PreK and Kindergarten.
They enjoyed it and made many connections. There are not many words so it is a shorter story which allowed them more time to make comments and connections about pumpkins, etc.
I would definitely read it again with PreK and Kindergarten.
August 18, 2018
Describes how a girl and boy get ready for their favorite holiday by planting pumpkin seeds. We follow the pumpkin from seeds to sprouts to vines to pumpkins to jack-o-lanterns.
End pages are cool. Also, in the back, a page for “How our pumpkin seeds grow underground.”
End pages are cool. Also, in the back, a page for “How our pumpkin seeds grow underground.”
February 22, 2019
This book is very cute way of showing how pumpkins come about. It shows the process and patience needed to have a pumpkin patch. The pictures are great and nicely in color. I would recommened this book for a preschool or kindergarden class learning about the process of pumpkins.
October 19, 2021
3 1/2 stars.
This is a fine book. It works well as a teaching tool when learning about pumpkin growth. I read it in a story time, and everything thought it was a fine book, but not one that we want to read over and over.
This is a fine book. It works well as a teaching tool when learning about pumpkin growth. I read it in a story time, and everything thought it was a fine book, but not one that we want to read over and over.
October 19, 2017
Excellent book to read before going to the pumpkin patch!!
October 24, 2017
This is a good storytime option. It gets into the basics of how things grow and it does have an excellent page turn question toward the end.
October 25, 2017
Nice for a not-scary-at-all Halloween story, but a little boring.
November 1, 2017
Genre: Fiction, Children's Picture book, BIG book
Unique feature: BIG book, tells the process of growing a pumpkin!
Grade level suggested: K-2
Unique feature: BIG book, tells the process of growing a pumpkin!
Grade level suggested: K-2
November 6, 2017
Nice story to share with children in the fall.
October 25, 2018
It's pumpkin time and this books tells us the story of the development of a pumpkin. It shows you that it all starts in the spring and makes its way to Halloween season.
October 14, 2019
The reader follows two children's seed-planting, growing and caring of pumpkins. Fun illustrations. On back page is information on how a seed grows.
October 23, 2019
I read this to Kindergarteners and they liked it, but I was a bit bored.
November 2, 2020
For: Halloween fans; readers looking for a book about growing pumpkins.
Possible red flags: anticipation.
Possible red flags: anticipation.
November 2, 2021
Wonderful read on Halloween 🎃
October 24, 2025
soft non fic
January 6, 2026
Cute. 3 year old liked it
Displaying 1 - 30 of 73 reviews