Kids’ Pumpkin Books To Read Before Visiting Patches In Bradenton

BRADENTON, FL — An early fall visit to the biggest pumpkin patches and fields in or near Bradenton can only be enhanced with the best reads beforehand. Kids will be more enthused about picking out the perfect one for pumpkin carving with a better understanding of the pumpkin basics.

Here are some of the pumpkin patches in the Bradenton area:

• Fruitville Grove, 7410 Fruitville Road in Sarasota, hosts its 33rd annual Pumpkin Festival with a pumpkin patch and other fall activities.
• Hunsader Farms, 5500 C.R. 675 in Bradenton, hosts its 30th annual Pumpkin Festival Oct. 16-17, 23-24 and 30-31, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is $12 per person and $5 to park. Children 10 and younger are free. The festival includes a pumpkin patch, craft show, live music and shows, hayrides, pony rides, a corn maze, a pioneer trades village, a petting zoo and more.
• Pumpkin Patch Express, 12210 83rd Street in East Parrish, is a popular trip from the Florida Railroad Museum takes you to a patch of pumpkins. Children are invited to pick their own pumpkin to take home. Everyone is also invited to participate in the hayride. Lincoln log building, crafts and other activities offered at no additional charge. Coach seating is $19 for adults and $15 for children. First-class, excursion and group seating is also available.

KC Edventures, an organization that encourages children's learning through providing information on fun activities, has sorted out recommended fall reads for kids by genre and age group in its 2019 list of "12 perfect pumpkin books for kids."

The recommended reads include "From Seed to Pumpkin," which teaches the science behind how seeds grow; "The Pumpkin Book," detailing the growth of pumpkins; and "The Very Best Pumpkin," about a boy named Peter who finds and cares for a pumpkin all summer long.

Also On Patch: Bradenton Pumpkin Patch Guide 2021

Pumpkin books for kids with a Halloween theme include “Five Little Pumpkins On Halloween Night” and “You Are My Pumpkin,” according to a 2020 list from Scholastic.com.

Here are five of the other books on the list, all available for order on Amazon.

• Pumpkin Pumpkin, author and illustrator: Jeanne Titherington
• It's Pumpkin Time!, author: Zoe Hall; illustrator: Shari Halpern
• The Runaway Pumpkin, author: Kevin Lewis; illustrator: S.D. Schindler
• Pumpkin Soup, author and illustrator: Helen Cooper
• The Pumpkin Fair, author: Eve Bunting; illustrator: Eileen Christelow