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Princess Truly books are a wonderful series because they combine a Black girl hero, rhyming text (great for early literacy), and everyday adventures that feel totally relatable. This one is perfect for fall — pumpkin patches, the hunt for the "right" pumpkin, and the chaos that ensues. The rhyming text makes it super fun to read aloud, and kids start finishing the rhymes before you do.

Discussion Questions

• What kind of pumpkin was Princess Truly looking for?
• Have you ever been to a pumpkin patch or picked out a pumpkin? What was that like?
• Can you find some rhyming words in the story? Can you think of more?
• If you could decorate your own pumpkin, what would it look like?

Paper Bag Stuffed PumpkinYour learner will create a squishy 3D pumpkin by stuffing a paper bag. This one is great for building hand strength and practicing those pinching and pressing motions.

Supplies

• A small brown paper lunch bag
• Newspaper or scrap paper for stuffing
• Orange and green paint or markers
• A green paper strip for the stem

Steps

1. Crumble the scrap paper or newspaper with your learner. Challenge them to crumble the paper with just their dominant hand, then with their non-dominant hand. This is harder then it seems!
2. Open the paper bag and have your child crumple up pieces of newspaper and stuff them inside. Really fill it up!
3. Twist the top of the bag closed and and twist it closed. This becomes the stem area.
4. Paint or color the whole bag orange. Let dry if painting.
5. Add a green paper strip curled around a pencil for a vine, and tape it to the top.
6. Draw a jack-o-lantern face with a marker.
7. Line up the whole family's pumpkins for a display!

Tips for Parents

• Crumpling the newspaper is genuinely satisfying for little hands, let them go to town.
• If the bag is too floppy when twisted, add an extra rubber band to hold the stem shape.
  
  

Extensions

• If you have a real pumpkin, do a simple observation: what does the outside feel like? Cut it open, what do you find inside? 
• Math: line up pumpkins (real, drawn, or stuffed) from smallest to biggest.