Kids Books To Read Before Visit To Pumpkin Patch In Reston

RESTON, VA — An early to mid-October visit to a pumpkin patch near Reston can only be enhanced with a good beforehand read. The kids will be more enthused about picking out the perfect one for carving with a better understanding of pumpkin basics.

Name: Reston Farm Garden Market Fall Festival
Address: 10800 Baron Cameron AveReston, VA 20190
Season opening/closing dates: Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, Sept. 25-Nov. 1 and Columbus Day (Oct. 12).
Attractions: Pumpkin boon bounce, bouncy slides, inflatable corn maze, train rides, and farm animals.
Hours: Timed entries for 9 a.m., 11 a.m., 1 p.m., 3 p.m., and 5 p.m. Enjoy 90 minute visits.
Pricing: $2o per child; entrance for one adult is paid with child's ticket, $5 for on additional parent or guardian; children age 2 and under free with a paid child's ticket.
Phone: 703-657-0999
Website: Reston Farm Garden Market

Name: Cox Farms Self-Driven Hayride
Address: 15621 Braddock Road, Centreville, VA 20120
Season opening/closing dates: Sept. 25-Nov. 2.
Attractions: Experience a hayride from inside your own vehicle. Check vehicle requirements before purchasing tickets.
Hours: Friday and Monday, 2-6 p.m. (last entry 5:15 p.m); Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. (last entry 5:15 p.m.); November hours, closing at 5 p.m. (last entry 4:15 p.m.)
Pricing: $15, good for one vehicle of up to eight people.
Phone: 703-830-4121
Website: Cox Farms Centreville

Name: Pumpkin Village at Leesburg Animal Park
Address: 19246 James Monroe Highway, Leesburg, VA 20175
Season opening/closing dates: Sept. 19-Nov. 3
Attractions: Scavenger hunt, farm animals, and on weekends, amazing performers and complimentary Halloween cookie and cider.
Hours: Tuesday-Friday, 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, 9:30 a.m.-6 p.m.
Pricing: Adults, $18; children 2-12, $15; seniors 60+, $15. Value weekends, Sept. 26 and 27, Adults, $16; children 2-12, $14; seniors 60+, $14. Weekdays (excluding Columbus Day - Oct. 12), Adults, $15; children 2-12, $13; seniors 60+, $13. Tickets must be purchased in advance.
Phone: 703-433-0002
Website: Pumpkin Fest Leesburg

KC Edventures, an organization that encourages children's learning through providing information on fun activities, has sorted out recommended kids fall reads by genre and age group in their 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.

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

• Pumpkin Pumpkin
• It's Pumpkin Time!
• The Runaway Pumpkin
• Pumpkin Soup
• The Pumpkin Fair