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The Pumpkin Book
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28 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 2000
5 people are currently reading
369 people want to read
About the author
Gail Gibbons
225 books162 followersFrom gailgibbons.com: I was born in Oak Park, Illinois, in 1944. Even as a little child, I was always busy putting books together. Sometimes I would bind them with yarn to hold the pages together. I've always loved drawing and painting. I was also a very curious child. My parents tell me that I was always asking lots and lots of questions.
Later, I went on to the University of Illinois, where I studied graphic design. Then I moved to New York City, where I got a job doing artwork for television shows. Eventually I was asked to do the artwork for a children's show. While doing that show, some of the children asked me if I had ever thought of doing children's books. My mind immediately recalled how much I enjoyed doing that type of thing when I was a child. So I put an idea for a book together and right away a publisher bought it. That book was called Willy and His Wheel Wagon. Since then, over 170 books that I have written and illustrated have been published. The type of books I write are non-fiction books. This is because I love researching so much. I get to ask lots of questions, just like when I was a kid. I also get to travel and meet lots of interesting people. While doing research for my book Nature's Green Umbrella: Tropical Rain Forests, I traveled to two islands where there are tropical rain forests, Saba and Dominica. I also had a great time writing and illustrating the book. I get a lot of pleasure from doing the type of work I do.
Later, I went on to the University of Illinois, where I studied graphic design. Then I moved to New York City, where I got a job doing artwork for television shows. Eventually I was asked to do the artwork for a children's show. While doing that show, some of the children asked me if I had ever thought of doing children's books. My mind immediately recalled how much I enjoyed doing that type of thing when I was a child. So I put an idea for a book together and right away a publisher bought it. That book was called Willy and His Wheel Wagon. Since then, over 170 books that I have written and illustrated have been published. The type of books I write are non-fiction books. This is because I love researching so much. I get to ask lots of questions, just like when I was a kid. I also get to travel and meet lots of interesting people. While doing research for my book Nature's Green Umbrella: Tropical Rain Forests, I traveled to two islands where there are tropical rain forests, Saba and Dominica. I also had a great time writing and illustrating the book. I get a lot of pleasure from doing the type of work I do.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 84 reviews
September 20, 2020
Gail Gibbons is an outstanding author and illustrator of young children's non-fiction picture books! Her whimsical yet informative simple text and illustrations are delightful. Labelled diagrams and how-to sections are included.
In this particular book, Gibbons focuses on: how pumpkins grow, varieties of pumpkins, pumpkin use in celebrations, etc.
This book (as well as other Gail Gibbons books) lend themselves well for teaching various reading strategies, and of course, for fun reading!
In this particular book, Gibbons focuses on: how pumpkins grow, varieties of pumpkins, pumpkin use in celebrations, etc.
This book (as well as other Gail Gibbons books) lend themselves well for teaching various reading strategies, and of course, for fun reading!
October 10, 2017
This is a nonfiction children’s book about pumpkins. It is highly informative and very interesting. It describes the life cycle of the pumpkin from seed through mature pumpkin, as well as the various pumpkin varieties. There is history tied in, with the relevance of pumpkins to Halloween as well as Thanksgiving, making this an excellent educational book for fall.
October 29, 2019
This was just okay; it starting out really general and kind of boring. It didn't get interesting until pg. 20 for me. The whole thing had been about the growing process and types of pumpkins and things like what a pumpkin patch is. She explained things that I thought didn't need explaining like that, but it was a thorough job though. It's things you already know like how plants grow. But there was an informative point about leaving 3 inches of the stem so the pumpkin doesn't mold. I've never heard of that before.
My favorite part was when it went back and talked about pumpkins with the Pilgrims and how Native Americans helped them plant and grow pumpkins. They ate pumpkin bread, pie, and seed cereal.
I also really liked when it switched to Halloween and how in the past people believed ghosts, witches, and goblins roamed the night. Some people made bonfires to scare them away.
It was called All Hallows Even and that was shortened to Halloween.
I liked the facts at the end. Pueblo Indians design pumpkin blossoms in their silver jewelry. He word pumpkin comes from pompion, French for ripened by the sun. Pilgrims sometimes dried pumpkin shells to make bowls. Pumpkins are full of vitamin A which gives strong teeth, good vision, and smooth skin. Few pumpkin flowers become pumpkins because the female blossom only opens one day in its lifetime.
There was a recipe for drying seeds. Rinse the seeds off, spread out for a few days preferably in sunlight, and then store in a jar.
The illustrations are really simple and not detailed. This is an older book and it looks it. The style reminds me of Charlie Brown. The first half of the book was slow to start but the rest is when it became good. This is a good book for learning what pumpkins are and how they grow and what uses they have.
My favorite part was when it went back and talked about pumpkins with the Pilgrims and how Native Americans helped them plant and grow pumpkins. They ate pumpkin bread, pie, and seed cereal.
I also really liked when it switched to Halloween and how in the past people believed ghosts, witches, and goblins roamed the night. Some people made bonfires to scare them away.
It was called All Hallows Even and that was shortened to Halloween.
I liked the facts at the end. Pueblo Indians design pumpkin blossoms in their silver jewelry. He word pumpkin comes from pompion, French for ripened by the sun. Pilgrims sometimes dried pumpkin shells to make bowls. Pumpkins are full of vitamin A which gives strong teeth, good vision, and smooth skin. Few pumpkin flowers become pumpkins because the female blossom only opens one day in its lifetime.
There was a recipe for drying seeds. Rinse the seeds off, spread out for a few days preferably in sunlight, and then store in a jar.
The illustrations are really simple and not detailed. This is an older book and it looks it. The style reminds me of Charlie Brown. The first half of the book was slow to start but the rest is when it became good. This is a good book for learning what pumpkins are and how they grow and what uses they have.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 28, 2019
My little ones loved learning how pumpkins grow and the lesson in the back on how to dry out pumpkin seeds.
November 4, 2019
Pumpkins are part of the gourd family.
I didn’t know that the beginning of a pumpkin is curled up inside each seed. Food is stored there, and each seed has a seed coat that protects the outside of it. The bigger the seed, the bigger the pumpkin variety.
Pumpkins don’t sprout until the dirt is warm and water has soaked the seed to soften its coat. The seed breaks, and the root begins to grow down into the soil. It takes in water and minerals from the soil. After about a week, two leaves appear from each seed. They’re called seed leaves. They take in more food for the plant from the sun and air.
The female flower has a small green ball under the flower. When the flower is pollinated, the ball grows and becomes a pumpkin.
It takes around 80-120 days for a seed to turn into a ripened pumpkin, depending on the variety. It’s ready to pick when it feels hard on the outside and sounds hollow when tapped.
Usually shears are used to clip pumpkins from their vines, leaving about 3 inches of stem. Stems keep the pumpkin from getting moldy.
The biggest pumpkin ever grown was in New York in 1996, weighing 1,061 lbs. I wonder if anyone has beaten it since.
Indians helped show the pilgrims how to plant pumpkins. Indian women were often the pumpkin farmers in their tribes.
Pilgrims ate some form of pumpkin every day, like pumpkin bread, pumpkin pie and pumpkin seed cereal.
The timeline of this book was way off. It mentions October fairs and then Thanksgiving with the pilgrims and Indians, & then goes back to Halloween. I didn’t expect this to cover thanksgiving at all.
In historical times, people thought ghosts, witches and goblins roamed the earth Halloween night. They would have bonfires to scare them away.
October 31st was called All Hallows Even, or Holy Evening. It was the night before a church festival called All Hallows or All Saints Day. All Hallows Even was shortened down to just Halloween.
Pumpkins probably originated in North America. Pumpkin seeds 9,000 years old have been found in caves in Mexico.
North American Indians usually planted pumpkins with corn and beans. The Iroquois believed corns, beans and pumpkins were a gift from their Sun God. The three crops are known as the Three Sisters. Pueblo Indians in the Southwest incorporate pumpkin blossoms in their silver jewelry.
The word pumpkin comes from the French word “pompion,” which means ripened by the sun. Which is odd because it’s supposed to have originated in North America.
Pilgrims would sometimes dry pumpkin shells to use as bowls.
Pumpkins are called Jack-o’-lanterns because of an old fable about a mean, stingy man named Jack. When he died he had to roam the earth carrying a turnip with a hot coal inside. He was called Jack of the Lantern or Jack-o’-Lantern.
Pumpkins are full of vitamin A, which can give you strong teeth, good vision and smooth skin.
Because female blossoms open up for pollination only one day in its lifetime, few pumpkin flowers actually turn into pumpkins.
I didn’t know that the beginning of a pumpkin is curled up inside each seed. Food is stored there, and each seed has a seed coat that protects the outside of it. The bigger the seed, the bigger the pumpkin variety.
Pumpkins don’t sprout until the dirt is warm and water has soaked the seed to soften its coat. The seed breaks, and the root begins to grow down into the soil. It takes in water and minerals from the soil. After about a week, two leaves appear from each seed. They’re called seed leaves. They take in more food for the plant from the sun and air.
The female flower has a small green ball under the flower. When the flower is pollinated, the ball grows and becomes a pumpkin.
It takes around 80-120 days for a seed to turn into a ripened pumpkin, depending on the variety. It’s ready to pick when it feels hard on the outside and sounds hollow when tapped.
Usually shears are used to clip pumpkins from their vines, leaving about 3 inches of stem. Stems keep the pumpkin from getting moldy.
The biggest pumpkin ever grown was in New York in 1996, weighing 1,061 lbs. I wonder if anyone has beaten it since.
Indians helped show the pilgrims how to plant pumpkins. Indian women were often the pumpkin farmers in their tribes.
Pilgrims ate some form of pumpkin every day, like pumpkin bread, pumpkin pie and pumpkin seed cereal.
The timeline of this book was way off. It mentions October fairs and then Thanksgiving with the pilgrims and Indians, & then goes back to Halloween. I didn’t expect this to cover thanksgiving at all.
In historical times, people thought ghosts, witches and goblins roamed the earth Halloween night. They would have bonfires to scare them away.
October 31st was called All Hallows Even, or Holy Evening. It was the night before a church festival called All Hallows or All Saints Day. All Hallows Even was shortened down to just Halloween.
Pumpkins probably originated in North America. Pumpkin seeds 9,000 years old have been found in caves in Mexico.
North American Indians usually planted pumpkins with corn and beans. The Iroquois believed corns, beans and pumpkins were a gift from their Sun God. The three crops are known as the Three Sisters. Pueblo Indians in the Southwest incorporate pumpkin blossoms in their silver jewelry.
The word pumpkin comes from the French word “pompion,” which means ripened by the sun. Which is odd because it’s supposed to have originated in North America.
Pilgrims would sometimes dry pumpkin shells to use as bowls.
Pumpkins are called Jack-o’-lanterns because of an old fable about a mean, stingy man named Jack. When he died he had to roam the earth carrying a turnip with a hot coal inside. He was called Jack of the Lantern or Jack-o’-Lantern.
Pumpkins are full of vitamin A, which can give you strong teeth, good vision and smooth skin.
Because female blossoms open up for pollination only one day in its lifetime, few pumpkin flowers actually turn into pumpkins.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 28, 2018
This informational text is used for readers to learn how pumpkins grow, the history of how we learned how to grow pumpkins, and how you can use pumpkins. The story takes you through the process in which pumpkins are grown, and how you can prepare your garden to plant them. Once the pumpkins are grown they are typically taken to the county fair to see who has grown the largest or to just be sold. The book also includes that the Native Americans were the ones who showed us how to plant pumpkins. Also I found it interesting that they show how Halloween is a big holiday for pumpkins, even including how pumpkins can be carved. In the back of the book you can also learn how to dry out pumpkin seeds and eat them. This text includes great information that can help the reader learn the history of pumpkins, how to use them, and even how to eat the seeds.
The illustrations in this book are actually very descriptive because not only does it illustrate the ways you plant pumpkins but it also labels the sections. For example, one one page it shows how pumpkin leaves are important and labels each part which is a great learning tool for children to not only see how its done but actually learn the terms for it. I also liked how the book included many ways that pumpkins can be used for example, carving them. The author included the background on how pumpkins were first brought into our country and I thought that was good information to include that not only pumpkins grow this way but this is how they came to be. One other good tool that the author used in this text was how to dry out pumpkin seeds for people to eat. Overall, this text had very useful information on how pumpkins can be consumed, and grown.
The illustrations in this book are actually very descriptive because not only does it illustrate the ways you plant pumpkins but it also labels the sections. For example, one one page it shows how pumpkin leaves are important and labels each part which is a great learning tool for children to not only see how its done but actually learn the terms for it. I also liked how the book included many ways that pumpkins can be used for example, carving them. The author included the background on how pumpkins were first brought into our country and I thought that was good information to include that not only pumpkins grow this way but this is how they came to be. One other good tool that the author used in this text was how to dry out pumpkin seeds for people to eat. Overall, this text had very useful information on how pumpkins can be consumed, and grown.
October 22, 2025
The life cycle of the pumpkin, and its use in various autumn cultural celebrations, including Halloween and Thanksgiving, is explored in this non-fiction picture book from prolific children's author and illustrator Gail Gibbons. The diverse range of pumpkins, from the baby bear to the big max, is covered, as is the cultivation of pumpkins and the process whereby they grow from seeds to gourds. Their use in seasonal celebrations is explored, and the book closes with a guide on how to carev a pumpkin into a jack-o-lantern...
A good general introduction to the subject of pumpkins for younger children, The Pumpkin Book pairs a simple but engaging text with appealing illustrations that look to have been done in watercolor. Gibbons has produced many works of picture book non-fiction, but this is only the fourth I have read. Like the others, including the related Halloween Is-- , I found it enjoyable, and think that it offers an interesting blend of ecological and historical information for younger elementary school students, which is the audience for which I would recommend it.
A good general introduction to the subject of pumpkins for younger children, The Pumpkin Book pairs a simple but engaging text with appealing illustrations that look to have been done in watercolor. Gibbons has produced many works of picture book non-fiction, but this is only the fourth I have read. Like the others, including the related Halloween Is-- , I found it enjoyable, and think that it offers an interesting blend of ecological and historical information for younger elementary school students, which is the audience for which I would recommend it.
May 15, 2023
The Pumpkin Book begins by introducing and explaining that pumpkins come in all different sizes. Then, it dives into the process of planting pumpkins by starting at the seed stage and continuing all the way to the harvesting stage. It also went into what happens after harvesting, and the pumpkin's ties to fairs, fall, and Halloween. There are also mentions of the origins and steps of carving a pumpkin. The book concludes by identifying the amazing transformation of a little pumpkin seed into a glowing pumpkin. While this might be a good book for an agriculture lesson or teaching the science of planting seeds, this book mentions many specific details that might cause younger children to lose attention, but it could be used for older children to introduce the facts of these processes. The book was not very interactive and seemed to just be stating facts rather than explaining them. However, this book could be beneficial around Halloween because the book explores pumpkin carving and pumpkin patches. I would still probably share this with students as an introduction to many scientific vocabulary words.
September 11, 2018
Summary:
The Pumpkin Book is a book about pumpkins, it talks about the shapes of pumpkins and how they grow. It talks about the first Thanksgiving and how a pumpkin was used for that and it also talks about the insides of pumpkins and how you can carve funny faces onto the pumpkins.
Evaluation:
This was a cute little nonfiction book. I liked the way it explained all about the anatomy of a pumpkin and how they are used. It was fun how they taught about carving pumpkins.
Teaching idea:
This would be a good seasonal book for students and also great when teaching the students to follow steps because it tells about the steps to clean and carve a pumpkin. Carving a pumpkin with them after reading this would be fun and interactive.
The Pumpkin Book is a book about pumpkins, it talks about the shapes of pumpkins and how they grow. It talks about the first Thanksgiving and how a pumpkin was used for that and it also talks about the insides of pumpkins and how you can carve funny faces onto the pumpkins.
Evaluation:
This was a cute little nonfiction book. I liked the way it explained all about the anatomy of a pumpkin and how they are used. It was fun how they taught about carving pumpkins.
Teaching idea:
This would be a good seasonal book for students and also great when teaching the students to follow steps because it tells about the steps to clean and carve a pumpkin. Carving a pumpkin with them after reading this would be fun and interactive.
September 24, 2019
Awesome! Gives lots of detailed and interesting information. It doesn't talk down to children. Some ideas and pages may be challenging for kids under 5, explaining the history of halloween for example, but little little kids who are smart and have a decent attention span will love it. Sometimes the comprehension level changes from page to page, but it works in this book because it engages a both a young and a bit older audience. I don't love the pictures, mostly its the way the people look, but the pumpkins make up for it because hey, every pumpkin is lovable.
*Nota bene - the end includes an easy fact page. My favorite one is the etymology of the French word for pumpkin :)
Def five star rating.
*Nota bene - the end includes an easy fact page. My favorite one is the etymology of the French word for pumpkin :)
Def five star rating.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 2, 2018
I am for sure going to find this book for my classroom. What a great book for the fall months! I love how she labels the types of pumpkins (kind of like the frog book) so you know each type. I never knew this before reading this book. In really like how she explains when they are planted and how the farmers grow them. This might be a fun book to read before a field trip to the pumpkin patch so the students know all about pumpkins before going there. Very informational book. Gail has such a great way of describing this information. I love her informational books. I had not heard of her before this class but I will def find her books for my classroom.
September 25, 2018
Summary:
This book is a nonfiction children's book about pumpkins. The book describes the life cycle of the pumpkin from seed to pumpkin.
Evaluation:
The book is informative and very interesting. I think that children would enjoy reading this book or having it read aloud.
Teaching Ideas:
I would use this book to model determine importance. I would have the students help me to decide what are important facts about pumpkins. I could also have the students sequence the events of the pumpkin life cycle.
This book is a nonfiction children's book about pumpkins. The book describes the life cycle of the pumpkin from seed to pumpkin.
Evaluation:
The book is informative and very interesting. I think that children would enjoy reading this book or having it read aloud.
Teaching Ideas:
I would use this book to model determine importance. I would have the students help me to decide what are important facts about pumpkins. I could also have the students sequence the events of the pumpkin life cycle.
October 2, 2020
This was another recommendation from Read Aloud Revival (Sarah Mackenzie). I think I appreciated this book just a bit more than my kids did because it teaches so much about how pumpkins grow. They weren’t as enamored with the illustrations, but they asked a ton of questions, even asking if we could plant some pumpkins! The wording is a little more advanced, but still easy enough for my 5yo to understand. This was a fun, informative book that made us miss pumpkin patches (thanks, 2020 🙄). We recommend this book.
October 25, 2017
This colorful nonfiction picture book, helps young readers understand how pumpkins grow, the history of pumpkins as they relate to Halloween and Thanksgiving, and how to carve pumpkins and dry the seeds. The information is written in an easy-to-understand manner and the illustrations help support the concepts. This would be a good book to share with young readers during the fall holiday season.
September 30, 2019
Gail Gibbons is our go to for fact-based, scientific books for children. Some children may find this book boring, especially if they’re expecting more of a story or they aren’t interested in the topic. My three year old is a bit of a scientist by nature and enjoys this kind of thing (especially on a topic that interests her). The writing was able to hold her interest for one reading but she didn’t request it multiple times during the week we had it. she retained some information and initiated discussion, especially about the male and female pumpkin flowers. We will plan to read this book again when she is older. It would be a fantastic complement to growing a pumpkin plant with a child.
October 19, 2019
GREAT book for 1st to 5th grade. This book is potentially a bit to difficult for toddlers. I read it for a Toddler Time and towards the end it was questionable wether they would make it through to the end without tears. Oh toddlers I love them.
It is a non-fiction informative book on pumpkins. 🎃
It is a non-fiction informative book on pumpkins. 🎃
September 29, 2022
This book is all about everything to do with pumpkins. It talks about how to grow that them and that things need to happen in order for them to grow. In the end after the pumpkins are grown it goes through everything you can do with a pumpkin. You can take your pumpkin to the fair to get judged, make pie (that can be judged too), carve pumpkins, and eat the seeds.
October 2, 2023
Great book for children ages 4 to 9 years olds. That would be pre-k to 4th grade. I think the 4 year olds would enjoy the book because of the different pumpkin they get to see in the book. The 9 year olds would like the book because of the science part because it shows how pumpkins are made. I would keep this book in my fall collection when I become a teacher.
September 27, 2017
Cute book for class! Very informative!
October 4, 2017
This is a great book to teach children about the science of how plants, like pumpkins, grow in the ground from a seed.
October 30, 2017
a great book to read when learning about pumpkins.
December 5, 2017
This is a perfect educational-holiday read, that will be informative to young students. "The Pumpkin Book" teaches children about the lifecycle of a seed to a pumpkin.
September 11, 2019
This is not a story book, it is a reference book about Pumpkins. The pictures are not very pleasing.
February 18, 2020
Science, social studies, history, holidays
February 26, 2020
This is a good book about pumpkins. There are many great facts!
August 1, 2020
A very informative book about pumpkins for fall storytime, but a little wordy for preschoolers. It would be more suited to an older crowd, perhaps first grade and on.
August 17, 2020
I'm pretty sure I know everything about pumpkins now...
October 23, 2020
This book showed the steps a pumpkin seed needs to become jack-o-lantern, and included a bit of history along the way! A great Fall book.
January 8, 2021
I liked it because I learned about pumpkins.
April 7, 2021
Simple, educational book. Good for the fall season
Displaying 1 - 30 of 84 reviews