The Best Pumpkin Read-Aloud Stories for Preschoolers
Pumpkin season isn’t just for pumpkin pie and pumpkin patches—it’s also the perfect time to cozy up with your preschooler and enjoy a good story together. Whether you’re reading before nap time, as part of a fall unit study, or just for fun, pumpkin-themed books are always a hit with little ones.
Here are some of the best pumpkin read-aloud stories for preschoolers that blend gentle storytelling, beautiful illustrations, and just the right touch of fall magic.
My Favorite Ways to Source Seasonal Books Affordably
There are so many benefits to exposing your young kids to a variety of books— and seasonal stories are a fun way to do that! But buying new books every season can get very expensive. Here are some of our favorite ways to sustainably rotate our books throughout the seasons!
Little Free Library (you can look here to see if there is one by you!)
Local libraries
Book Swap
Buy used- thrift stores, consignment stores, and yard sales are great places to find affordable books!
Buy off-season- If you are purchasing books from a store, try to plan ahead for the next year. The week after a holiday is a great time to find these seasonal books marked down. Then you can store them for the upcoming year. My favorite way to do this is to store any seasonal books in with our decorations. For example, all of our fall books are in with our fall decorations!
One morning a week, my daughter picks out a book from her bookshelf that she is ready to let another kiddo read, and we go on a morning walk to a Little Free Library that’s a few streets down from our house. My daughter places her book in the free library, and she gets to pick out a new one. We have already seen one or two pumpkin themed books now that we are entering the fall season. This is my favorite way to rotate books and find some seasonal treasures too!
The Best Pumpkin-Themed Books for Preschool
1. Pumpkin Circle: The Story of a Garden by George Levenson
This is a wonderful nonfiction picture book that takes kids through the life cycle of a pumpkin—from seed to sprout, flower to fruit, and finally back to seed again. The simple rhyming text makes it fun for read-alouds, and the photography is stunning. It’s a great way to sneak in a little science while still feeling festive.
2. The Very Best Pumpkin by Mark Kimball Moulton
A sweet story about friendship, kindness, and the joy of growing something special. It follows a boy named Peter who tends to a small pumpkin in a field and shares it with a friend. The story carries a gentle message of generosity that fits beautifully into fall discussions about gratitude.
3. Pumpkin Soup by Helen Cooper
This classic fall read tells the story of three animal friends—Duck, Cat, and Squirrel—who always make pumpkin soup the same way. But one day, Duck wants to stir instead of Squirrel, and a disagreement brews. Preschoolers love the whimsical illustrations, and the story opens up conversations about teamwork and taking turns.
4. Too Many Pumpkins by Linda White
When Rebecca Estelle’s yard fills with pumpkins she never wanted, she decides to make the best of it. What happens next is a community feast full of pumpkin treats! Kids love the repetitive text and silly abundance of pumpkins, while adults appreciate the lesson of making something good out of the unexpected.
5. The Roll-Away Pumpkin by Junia Wonders
A bouncy rhyming story perfect for preschoolers, this book follows Marla Little’s pumpkin as it rolls through the town, gathering friends along the way. The sing-song text makes it fun to read aloud, and little ones will quickly start chiming in with the repeated lines.
6. How Big Could Your Pumpkin Grow? by Wendell Minor
Full of larger-than-life illustrations, this book is a delight for preschool imaginations. It imagines pumpkins so enormous they could take over Mount Rushmore or the Capitol steps. It’s whimsical, silly, and always a crowd-pleaser at story time.
7. Pumpkin Jack by Will Hubbell
A tender story about a boy named Tim who carves a pumpkin for Halloween, then leaves it in the garden to watch it change with the seasons. The pumpkin rots, returns to the soil, and grows again the next year—an easy introduction to the concept of decomposition and cycles in nature.
8. It’s Pumpkin Day, Mouse! by Laura Numeroff
From the author of If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, this board book is perfect for the youngest preschoolers. Mouse decorates pumpkins with all sorts of fun expressions—happy, sad, silly, and surprised. It’s short, sweet, and a great way to talk about emotions while enjoying a fall theme.
Looking for More Fall Themed Books?
If you’re looking for even more fall books, check out The Best Living Books for the Fall Season. Living books are a great way to get your little one engaged through deeper storytelling, and we love incorporating seasonal, living books into our rotation throughout the year!
One of my favorite resources for book lists is the Treehouse Schoolhouse, this page shows the book lists that she recommends, including an autumn themed one!
Tips for Making Fall Read Alouds Extra Special
Pair the story with a snack: Pumpkin muffins or roasted pumpkin seeds make the experience extra cozy.
Do a mini activity: Try drawing a pumpkin face after It’s Pumpkin Day, Mouse! or making paper pumpkins after The Roll-Away Pumpkin. Check out these 10 Easy Pumpkin Crafts for Toddlers for inspiration.
Take it outside: Reading about pumpkins while sitting in the crisp autumn air (or even at the pumpkin patch!) makes the story come alive.
Pumpkin books for preschoolers are more than just seasonal fun—they’re a way to spark curiosity, teach life lessons, and create memories together. Whether you’re looking for silly rhymes, gentle science, or stories about sharing, there’s a pumpkin read-aloud on this list that’s sure to delight your little one.
So grab a blanket, pour yourself something warm, and snuggle up with one (or two!) of these pumpkin stories this fall.
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