This easy, printable pumpkin storybook turns a few sheets of paper into a beautiful pumpkin, ready to be filled with stories, poems, drawings, quotes, and thoughts. Perfect for Thanksgiving and the autumn season.
6 November, 2026 ● Written by Sarah Silverkey
Image copyright: STORYVOR
Books come in all shapes and sizes. And what could be more perfect for November, the month of cozy autumn days, Thanksgiving dinners, and falling leaves, than a pumpkin-shaped book? It’s easy and cheap to make, takes only colored paper, glue, and a pair of scissors, and once it’s done, it can be filled with anything you or your students like: pictures from the season, drawings, a short story, stickers, quotes, and more. If you’d like to turn it into a writing exercise, use it in combination with our Story Bones guide on the elements of a story, or, if you’d prefer, use it as a crafting activity during read-aloud time. Cozy, autumnal stories are the perfect accompaniment.
Enjoy!
How the pumpkin book looks after assembling:
Download your pumpkin paper craft here!
Print out our free, handy crafting guide, gather your materials, and make your pumpkin book at home or in the classroom. More details on the research-based benefits of reading can be found here.
How to use STORYVOR's pumpkin book for literacy building
Pair with books about autumn, harvest, gratitude, or Halloween
This paper craft makes a great companion activity to books about pumpkins, autumn, harvest time, or friendly spooks.
Craft during read-aloud
Use the pumpkin book as a simple hands-on activity during story time. Children can fold, trace, and cut their pages while listening to a read-aloud. Keeping hands busy during read-aloud time can help with focus.
Writing and drawing activities
Every page of the finished pumpkin is waiting to be filled. Children can write or draw the things they are thankful for, list their favorite moments from the story, collect autumn words, or add stickers and pictures from the season. Pair it with our Story Bones guide to turn the sixteen pages into a short story of their own, one scene per page.
Sharing and storytelling
Once the pumpkin is finished, invite children to open it up and walk a classmate or family member through their pages. Explaining what they wrote or drew, page by page, builds confidence in speaking about their ideas, and retelling a story in sequence is one of the most reliable ways to build narrative skill. It is also the first step toward telling their own.
Tip: Regular printing or colored paper (80 to 120 gsm) works best for the pages, since all sixteen need to fold neatly and open into a round shape. For the pattern piece itself, we like to print on light cardstock so it holds up to being traced again and again.
Note: If you’d like to collaborate with us or get your own co-branded materials for encouraging literacy at your school, organization, or institution, reach out! We’re happy to work with you to inspire reading in your community, always free of charge, so don’t hesitate to get in touch.
Sarah Silverkey
Contributing Editor
Sarah is an educator, writer, and artist with over 40 years of primary and secondary school teaching experience in the United States and in Switzerland. She’s a co-founder of the Homeschool Association Switzerland, and a fervent literacy advocate, believing that all good things (or at least, very many of them) come from an early exposure to books and stories.
This easy, printable pumpkin storybook turns a few sheets of paper into beautiful pumpkin, ready to be filled with stories, poems, drawings, quotes, and thoughts. Perfect for Thanksgiving and the autumn season.