Big Pumpkin is Halloween book we just have to spotlight! This book is so much fun to read because it has rhyming and repeated phrases that make it engaging for students to listen to. Young readers will love the spooky illustrations in this book and laugh out loud as the characters try and solve their problem. What we like best about Big Pumpkin is the message of teamwork and sharing that it teaches. - Jodi and the Starts With a Story Team
SUMMARY
The book Big Pumpkin tells the story of a witch who is growing a pumpkin. She wants to use the pumpkin to make a pumpkin pie for Halloween. However, when she tries to get the pumpkin off the vine she finds out it is stuck! Several characters, a mummy, ghost and vampire all try to help pull it off. Each one is bigger and stronger than the character before but no one can help the witch. When a bat comes along, she suggests that they all work together to pull the pumpkin off the vine. Once everyone pulls the pumpkin together they are able to free it! The witch races home to make her pumpkin pie and shares it with everyone who helped.
Students will enjoy listening to this rhyming book with repeated phrases.
USE THIS BOOK TO TEACH:
Big Pumpkin lends itself to teaching a range of skills and strategies. Teachers can integrate writing, grammar, and vocabulary with this read aloud. It also can be used to teach so many different reading comprehension strategies!
- Practice sequencing the events of the story.
- Stop and encourage students to make inferences as you read.
- Get students writing by having them create lists related to the story.
- Ask them to write a book review and convince a friend to read the book.
- Practice action verbs and verb tense.
- Introduce the suffix -er.
- Discuss the importance of teamwork and sharing.
- Introduce new vocabulary.
NO-PREP PRINTABLE ACTIVITIES:
If you are looking for “ready to go” activities for the first day of school, be sure to check out the book companion. With it you’ll receive all of the following resources to align with this specific book:
- comprehension questions
- 30 writing prompts with themed paper
- vocabulary activities
- word study print & go activities
- ideas for grammar lessons with focus sentence printables
- social emotional learning discussion topics
- graphic organizers to target specific comprehension skills and strategies
With so many great skills to teach you’re probably thinking there is no way you can get to them all. Not so fast! These activities have everything you need to teach a comprehensive read aloud for this book!
GET THE PRINTABLE ACTIVITIES
ADDITIONAL BOOK SUGGESTIONS
You and your students will also love these similar books:
- The Ugly Pumpkin by Dave Horowitz
- The Runaway Pumpkin by Kevin Lewis
- Pumpkin Town by Katie McKy
- Pumpkin Jack by Will Hubbell
TRY OUT A SAMPLE COMPANION
It's hard to explain how amazing the Starts with a Story book companions are because there is just so much goodness included in each one. It's best if you experience using one for yourself. Sign up below & we'll send you an entire book companion to try out for FREE!
