Turn a real or craft pumpkin into a fun storybook pumpkin inspired by one of these classic children’s books.
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A storybook pumpkin is one that has been decorated to look like a character or scene from a children’s book.
Have you ever decorated a storybook pumpkin? It’s a popular fall and Halloween activity for kids in elementary school. I’ve seen public libraries host a bookish pumpkin decorating contest too.
If your second grader suddenly needs to bring a cute decorated pumpkin to school, I’ve got some easy ideas that will hopefully spark inspiration.
Storybook pumpkin tips
I made a few storybook pumpkins with my kids when they were little. Here are some tips to make sure the project is fun and easy!
- Skip carving and just decorate with markers, glue, and craft supplies. Carving is messy and your pumpkin will expire quickly. If you need to cut the pumpkin, opt for a craft pumpkin instead of a real one.
- Pick a book your child knows well. Let’s be honest, the final pumpkin might not be recognizable, so it’s important that your kiddo can excitedly tell everyone about it.
- There’s a book for everything. If your child has their heart set on something specific (Pikachu, BB-8, etc.) just find a book or graphic novel that fits.
- Keep it simple. If this is for school, your child should be doing the decorating while you supervise. That means you’ll want to pick a project you can do in 30 minutes or less – before they lose interest.
- When in doubt, shellac. Any craft will last longer with a few coats of clear protective spray. And if you included glitter or anything that might fall off, the clear coat will encourage it to stay on the pumpkin.
- Snap lots of photos. There’s a good chance this little pumpkin won’t survive sitting at school for a few weeks or being carried around by a child. Get those photos as you’re crafting together!
Kids’ pumpkin craft supplies
When decorating a pumpkin with kids, all you need are a few simple craft supplies and a ton of imagination!
- small or large craft pumpkin
- washable craft paint
- wiggly eyes
- pipe cleaner
- construction paper
- craft felt
- craft glue or hot glue
Storybook pumpkin books
Here are 10 books with iconic characters that make great pumpkins! Order them from the shoppable links or check your local library.
Charlotte’s Web
Decorate a pumpkin to look like Wilbur, the pig from Charlotte’s Web by Kate DiCamillo. Paint the pumpkin pink, then add eyes, a pig snout, and floppy ears.
You could simply paint the whole thing, or use felt to give your pig some texture. For even more fun, add a pair of giant wiggly eyes and a curly pipe cleaner tail.
Get a copy of this book: Bookshop.org | Amazon.com | Barnes & Noble
Pete the Cat
Pete the Cat is a book series with dozens of titles by James Dean. Paint the pumpkin dark blue, then add matching ears and big yellow eyes. For some texture, use pipe cleaner for whiskers.
If your child loves cats but not this one, you can use this idea to make any cat character.
Get a copy of this book: Bookshop.org | Amazon.com | Barnes & Noble
A Bad Case of Stripes
A Bad Case of Stripes, by David Shannon, is a fun early elementary book about a child who breaks out in rainbow stripes because she’s worried about what other kids think of her.
To decorate a pumpkin for this book, paint the same rainbow stripe pattern. Then add facial features and a wig (or yarn for hair) with a bow.
Get a copy of this book: Bookshop.org | Amazon.com | Barnes & Noble
Where the Wild Things Are
You can decorate a pumpkin to resemble any of the monsters from Where the Wild Things Are, by Maurice Sendak. All you need are craft paints and some simple supplies to add eyes, teeth, and hair.
Or make the hero Max, who is dressed in white and has pointy ears and a crown.
Get a copy of this book: Bookshop.org | Amazon.com | Barnes & Noble
The Very Hungry Caterpillar
You’ll find lots of inspiration from Eric Carle’s books! Use a few smaller pumpkins to make a Very Hungry Caterpillar.
Paint about 3 mini pumpkins green and one red. Paint on a face and make pipe cleaner antennas for the red one. Then attach them all together using hot glue.
Get a copy of this book: Bookshop.org | Amazon.com | Barnes & Noble
If You Give a Mouse a Cookie
Make a little gray mouse from If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, by Laura Numeroff.
Paint the pumpkin gray, then add gray paper ears and paint on the eyes, nose, and mouth. Add some pipe cleaner whiskers.
Get a copy of this book: Bookshop.org | Amazon.com | Barnes & Noble
Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus
Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus, by Mo Willems, is an easy book to turn into a cute pumpkin. Paint your pumpkin blue and add a pair of big eyes. Add a yellow beak made from paper.
I’ve also seen this one done with the blue pumpkin for a body, a paper towel tube neck, and a tiny pumpkin for a head!
Get a copy of this book: Bookshop.org | Amazon.com | Barnes & Noble
Harold and the Purple Crayon
For something a bit different, decorate a pumpkin inspired by Harold and the Purple Crayon, by Crockett Johnson. First, make a little paper boy that looks like Harold. Attach him to one side of the pumpkin with glue. Then use paint to draw a wonky purple line all around the pumpkin, as if Harold did the coloring.
Get a copy of this book: Bookshop.org | Amazon.com | Barnes & Noble
Rainbow Fish
With a little patience, you can turn a pumpkin into the main character from Rainbow Fish, by Marcus Pfister. Start by painting your pumpkin blue. Add wiggly eyes and a mouth. Then make scales from either large sequins or paper circles. Attach the circles in layers around the pumpkin, then add some matching paper fins.
Get a copy of this book: Bookshop.org | Amazon.com | Barnes & Noble
Room on the Broom
If you want to make a storybook pumpkin with a Halloween title, try Room on the Broom by Julia Donaldson. To decorate this pumpkin idea, find one with a long wooden stem.
Turn the pumpkin so that the stem is the nose. Paint the pumpkin face, adding eyes and a mouth. Use orange yarn for hair and don’t forget a mini witch hat.
Get a copy of this book: Bookshop.org | Amazon.com | Barnes & Noble
If you make one of these storybook pumpkin ideas, I’d love to see it! Send me a photo and be sure to mention if I can add it to this blog post (and credit you, of course).
What’s next? Try these other fun and creative ideas on One Mama’s Daily Drama:
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